Cong, SP not to cross paths in Sonia, Mulayam fiefdoms

MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING The tradition was broken once in 2009 by the Congress; a furious SP reciprocated by holding roadshows in Gandhi bastions

LUCKNOW: The sworn rivals on Uttar Pradesh’s political turf — Samajwadi Party and Congress — would stay “friends” in four seats in the 2014 parliamentary polls, honouring an unwritten code of conduct dating back to the days of former prime minister Indira Gandhi.

The SP is not fielding any candidate in Sonia and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s pocket boroughs, Rae Bareli and Amethi respectively. In turn, the Congress is not putting up candidates in Mulayam’s citadel Mainpuri and daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav’s Kannauj seat.

This, despite the fact that Sonia Gandhi and SP chief Mulayam Singh cross swords perpetually over almost all issues — price rise, minorities welfare, Muzzafarnagar riots and graft.

There has been a long-standing, unsaid pact between Sonia and Mulayam of not fielding candidates against each other and family-members.

Though the SP came into existence only in 1992, even as Janata Dal state president Mulayam had not put up any candidate against Indira Gandhi ever.

The culture continued unbroken till 2009 when the Congress violated it by pitting Raj Babbar against Dimple during the Firozabad LS by-polls. Dimple had lost, drawing a furious response from husband Akhilesh Yadav.

The SP replied by dealing a deathblow to the Congress in the 2012 assembly polls, sweeping eight of the 10 seats in the Gandhi bastion of Rae Bareli and Amethi.

Just the way it was the first to violate the pact, the Congress also was the first to restore it.

When Dimple contested the Lok Sabha by-polls for the second time—this time in 2012 from Kannauj – the Congress was the first one to announce a walkover for Dimple. Subsequently, no party put up candidates against Dimple, and she made a history by getting elected unopposed.

I r respective of all t his, Mulayam and Sonia are always often claiming “We have been supporting Congress only to keep communal forces out of power and would continue to do so.”

Both in 2004 and 2009, when the SP had 35 and 22 MPs respectively, Mulayam did not join the UPA-I and UPA-II and only provided outside support.