SP will focus on defeating BJP: Shivpal in Ghaziabad

The SP state chief said he will align with those who believe in secular ideology

Following a long family feud in the Yadav family in UP, Samajwadi Party (SP) state chief Shivpal Yadav said on Thursday that he will now focus on stopping the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from assuming power in the state in the forthcoming assembly elections. He said he will align with those who believe in secular ideology.

The Samajwadi Party state chief was in Ghaziabad’s Police Lines at Harsaon on October 27. (Sakib Ali /HT Photo)

Yadav was in Ghaziabad’s Police Lines at Harsaon before proceeding to Saharanpur to attend the death anniversary of former minister and party MLA from Deoband, Rajendra Singh Rana. “Now I have no aspiration... I am focussing on party work. Whether I hold the post of the party’s state chief or not... whether I get ministership or not... I can also work like a party worker in order to keep BJP at bay... no matter what sacrifice I have to make... Our family is united, SP is united,” he said.

“The elections are on from my side... there will be meetings and these will be scheduled daily,” he said.

The SP has been hit by a power tussle that has split UP chief minister (CM) Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. Shivpal Yadav, who is so far backed by his brother, Mulayam, was also at the receiving end as he was stripped of important portfolios and dismissed from the cabinet by the CM.

The rift between Shivpal and Akhilesh is unlikely to bridge soon as Shivpal also vacated his official residence in Lucknow on Wednesday. The series of events also led to expulsion of Mulayam’s cousin and Rajya Sabha MP, Ram Gopal Yadav, and UP minister Pawan Pandey from the party. Both are stated to be close to Akhilesh.

It is felt that the issues within the Yadav family has allowed their arch rival Bahujan Samaj Party gain momentum in the state, sources said.

Speaking about the CM candidate if SP wins the elections, Shivpal said ‘Netaji’ (Mulayam) has already spoken about the issue.

“The issue will be undertaken as per his order or direction... what is the issue on this? Our aim is to get 285 seats in the coming elections. The BJP already has a government at Centre while Bahujan Samaj Party has disintegrated. When we add all these (‘Lohiya wadi’, ‘Gandhiwadi’, ‘Charan Singh wadi’, and seculars), we will gain majority,” Shivpal said.

He had made the announcement for a grand alliance on Wednesday before leaving for New Delhi to invite leaders of Janata Dal (JD United), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) for the party’s silver jubilee function in Lucknow on November 5. The proposal also has the approval of Mulayam who had walked out of a similar alliance between the JD (U), RJD and Congress ahead of election in Bihar in 2015.