The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
In Shivpal bastion, supporters look to make it tough for SP
A HUGE poster of estranged cousins Shivpal Yadav and Ramgopal Yadav with Mulayam Singh Yadav hangs oddly amid the family feud at the Samajwadi Party (SP)’S Etawah office. Shivpal aide, Sunil Yadav, occupied the office as SP district president until a few weeks ago. Sunil is now circulating a purported video showing SP’S Etawah Sadar candidate Kuldeep Gupta gambling with demonetised Rs 500 notes. Gupta has denied that it is his video that highlights deep fissures within the party in its bastion.
Sunil claims to have gathered disgruntled workers and leaders under the banner of “Mulayam ke Log” and put up Ashish Rajput against Gupta. “Our aim is to defeat the SP,” he said. “People who have worked for the party and faced police lathis have been humiliated. I am not against (Chief Minister) Akhilesh Yadav but the kind of people being promoted.’’ He called himself the follower of Mulayam’s policies.
Sunil’s associate, Rajeev Yadav, said that they have fielded Rajput because he is old but had got nothing after years of service to SP. “We are going to impact the party at booth level,’’ he said. “Earlier a lot of bogus votes were cast in names of absent Yadavs. We are going to check that, bringing Yadav support down from 90 per cent to 60 per cent.’’
Shivpal aide and MLA Rajkumar Shakya’s campaign against the party after he was denied ticket has added to the SP’S problems. Etawah Sadar’s demographics do not tilt in SP favour either. It has significant presence of castes that have been not traditionally aligned with the party.
SP leaders dismiss the sabotage efforts. “All that he (Sunil) and some others are going to achieve is ruining their careers. Till yesterday, they were sitting with us but on directions of Shivpal, they are doing this. But people are with us,” said SP District Secretary Dhirendra Yadav.
His confidence is not reflective of the situation given the caste calculations in the constituency and the kind of candidates the BSP and BJP have fielded. The SP has put up a Baniya and BSP a Brahmin. The BJP hopes to bring together upper castes and non-yadavs to see its Thakur candidate through. Its effort may be bearing some fruit while the impact of the feud is evident in the constituency.
Bholasingh,alodhobc,saidthathiscommunity is going with BJP en masse. “The BJP hasgivenourcommunity11mpsandsomany ministers. SP has given all to Yadavs and they rule the roost.’’ At Adda village, Shakyakushwaha voters, who have been voting for the SP, were in two minds. Santosh Kumar, 40, will still go with the SP while Ajay Kushwaha, 25,wantschangehighlightingtheprimeposition the BJP has given to Shakya leaders like state party president Keshav Prasad Maurya. Brahminsappearedtohaveadoptedawaitand watch policy. “If there is significant Muslim movementtowardsthebsp,brahminswillfollow suit as we rarely get a candidate from our caste,” said a Brahmin voter.