Shivpal likely to get back honour, position in SP
LUCKNOW: The estranged uncle of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and MLA from Jaswant Nagar Shivpal Yadav may get back his honour as he is likely to be appointed the party’s national general secretary.
Consequent to a family feud in the party, Shivpal had been nothing more than an SP MLA for over a year. He was stripped of all the positions in the organisation after Akhilesh officially took over as the party president in January 2017.
A senior SP leader familiar with the developments in the party said: “We understand that Shivpal will soon be given a post in the party. The idea had emerged when Akhilesh was re-elected national president of the party in Agra in October last year. Ever since Shivpal met Ramgopal Yadav (national general secretary) in Delhi, talks of giving him the post of national general secretary have gained momentum.”
Shivpal (with the backing of Mulayam) was locked in a fierce feud with Akhilesh over the control of the party since August 2016 which ended on January 1, 2017, when Akhilesh was elected party president replacing Mulayam. Mulayam gradually took Akhilesh’s side.
Both Shivpal and Akhilesh have put an end to rumours that the former would either form a new party or join the BJP.
“A meeting was held and everything is alright in the family,” Shivpal had said after meeting Ramgopal in Delhi last month.
A week before the Ramgopal Shivpal meeting, Akhilesh had said: “Chacha (Shivpal) voted for us. He will remain in the party. All speculations of any member of our family joining the BJP will prove to be wrong.”
Shivpal had voted against the party line in the presidential elections in July 2017 but in the recent Rajya Sabha polls, he followed the party whip, and had attended the party’s dinner ahead of the voting, where he sat next to Akhilesh.