Spotlight on SP as family feud plays out during prez poll

LUCKNOW: Despite its tally of only 47 in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly, the spotlight was on the Samajwadi Party (SP) during voting for the Presidential election here on Monday as the protracted Yadav family feud played out once again.

Senior SP leader Shivpal Yadav, party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s estranged uncle, declared that he voted for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Ram Nath Kovind though the SP officially backed the opposition candidate Meira Kumar, a former Lok Sabha speaker.

Ever since Kovind’s candidature was declared last month, it was increasingly clear that the Mulayam-Shivpal faction in the SP would vote for him.

Before leaving home to cast his vote, Shivpal said: “I will vote for Kovind. More and more SP voters should vote for him. He is a good candidate. He is a Dalit. We are neighbours.”

Kovind belongs to Kanpur and Shivpal, the Jaswant Nagar MLA, is from the neighbouring Etawah district.

Independent MLA from Kunda Raghuraj Pratap Singh aka Raja Bhaiya, an SP, too, ended speculation and said at the Vidhan Bhavan: “I have good relations with former chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, but in the presidential election I am supporting Kovind due to my relationship with him.”

Singh claimed all independent MLAs voted for Kovind.

In consonance with the Shivpal camp’s claim that at least 12 to 15 legislators will go with ‘Mulayam’s wish’, Independent MLA Amanmani Tripathi and NISHAD party MLA Vijay Mishra too said they voted for Kovind. Both were in the SP earlier, but Akhilesh Yadav had denied tickets to them ahead of the 2017 assembly election.

But, leader of opposition in the assembly Ram Govind Chowdhary, who is also the SP legislature party leader, denied any party MLA had voted for Kovind.

Rather, he claimed that Shivpal had also voted for Meira Kumar. “There is a difference between saying and doing,” he said about Shivpal’s claim.

Another senior SP leader Azam Khan said: “I am sure both Netaji and Shivpal have voted for the UPA candidate.” Congress Legislature Party leader Ajay Kumar Lallu also refuted claims about chinks in the Opposition camp. He said they were “united and voting en masse for Meira Kumar”. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader in the Uttar Pradesh assembly Ram Achal Rajbhar and party MLA Lalji Verma said: “All the 19 BSP MLAs will vote for Meira Kumar”. Most of the BJP MLAs, including ministers, seemed happy about “some non-NDA votes too coming to their candidate.” The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have 325 members in the Vidhan Sabha. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has 19 members, the Congress 7, and the RLD and Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD) one member each. There are three independent MLAs.