Uttar Pradesh: Shivpal Yadav sulks, goes to Etawah after no invite for SP meet

LUCKNOW: After putting up a united front in the Assembly elections, all it seems is not well within Samajwadi Party’s first family - the Yadav clan. Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle Shivpal Yadav on Saturday expressed his displeasure over not being invited for the meeting of SP MLAs held at the party headquarters in Lucknow and left for Etawah.
SP quickly responded to Shivpal’s comment by stating that only SP MLAs were called for the meeting and none of the allies — Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party or Mahan SHIV Dal — were extended the invite.
“I was not informed about the meeting of SP MLAs like other MLAs were. How can I attend the meeting,” Shvipal told TOI when asked about his absence from the meeting while it was underway. “I was in Lucknow for the last two days and now I am leaving for Etawah,” he said. Minutes later he left for Etawah by road.
Shivpal was heading Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia (PSP-L) party when Akhilesh reached out to him before the Assembly polls and offered him to contest the elections on SP ticket. As SP candidate, Shivpal won the Jaswantnagar seat and had campaigned on many seats for the SP candidates.
Shivpal said he had formally signed as an active member of SP ahead of the elections and filed his nomination as an SP candidate, contested elections on Samajwadi Party symbol – bicycle and won the Jaswantnagar seat.
“Today only SP MLAs were asked to attend the meeting. Meeting of all MLAs, including those from the alliance parties who contested on SP ticket is scheduled on March 28,” said SP state president Naresh Uttam Patel. Asked that Shivpal had contested elections on SP ticket, he said even Palliavi Patel had contested elections on SP ticket and defeated the sitting deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya but was not invited for the Saturday meeting.
Political observers are of the view that Shivpal might have aired his displeasure on not being invited to the meeting but may actually be unhappy over not being given any responsibility in the party other than being just an MLA, which, according to many, is below his political status. Recently, after SP’s defeat in the elections, there were speculations in the media that Shivpal would be nominated as the leader of the opposition in the state assembly by the party leadership. There were also reports that he could be appointed as the state president of SP as well.