FAMILY FEUD TAKES BACK SEAT IN SP CAMP

LUCKNOW: Family feud appears to have taken the back seat in the Samajwadi Party (SP) at least for a while with former minister Shivpal Yadav turning up at the dinner hosted by the party to mobilise support for its Rajya Sabha candidate Jaya Bachchan and the opposition’s joint nominee BSP candidate BR Ambedkar. Shivpal exuded confidence that both candidates will win.

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, his wife Dimple Yadav and Jaya Bachchan were present at the dinner. Independent MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh also turned up at the dinner, giving a message of his continuing alliance with the SP. Both former minister Mohammad Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam were conspicuous by their absence at the dinner and the SP legislature party meeting that Yadav addressed.

A senior party leader said those absent had given prior information. Another absentee was SP MLA Hari Om, who was lodged in jail. Addressing party leaders, Akhilesh Yadav said the BJP was subverting all democratic norms. The BJP would not have fielded its ninth candidate if it had upheld democratic norms, said Akhilesh Yadav.

“Our candidate is winning and we are also going to ensure victory of the other (BSP) candidate,” senior SP leader Parasnath Yadav told reporters.