LUCKNOW: After the landslide victory of SP candidate Dimple Yadav in Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypolls, Shivpal Yadav led Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia headed for a formal merger with Samajwadi Party led by Akhilesh Yadav.
On Thursday, Akhilesh presented the SP flag to Shivpal at a press conference.
Later, Shivpal Yadav updated his Twitter profile introducing himself as SP leader and had no mention of PSPL.
After the SP chief presented the flag to uncle Shivpal, the latter's son Adtiya Yadav – who is PSP-L state president – and Anshu Yadav, SP’s Etawah Zila Parishad chairman, jointly placed it on the flag metal rod of Shivpal’s car bonnet. Thereafter Shivpal announced: “Ab meri gaadi par SaPa ka hi jhanda rahega (Now my car will bear SP flag only)” as party workers cheered.
Aditya Yadav’s social media profile also changed — describing him as SP leader, with no mention of PSP-L.
Akhilesh Yadav tweeted a picture of him presenting the SP flag to Shivpal and wrote that coming together of SP and PSP-L will provide a more cordial and creative atmosphere and add strength to the socialist movement in a big way. The photograph was also tweeted by Shivpal and Aditya.
The development came shortly after SP candidate Dimple Yadav won the Mainpuri Lok Sabha bypoll by a margin of over 2 lakh votes, of which a lead of over one lakh votes came from Shivpal’s assembly constituency of Jaswantnagar.
Jaswantnagar has traditionally contributed maximum lead in SP’s victory in Mainpuri parliamentary elections. In the previous general elections, Mulayam had secured a lead of over 90,000 votes from here.
Amid ups and downs in their relations, ‘chacha Shivpal had joined hands with ‘bhatija’ Akhilesh to ensure Dimple’s win in the bypoll necessitated after the demise of SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Akhilesh and Shivpal had been at loggerheads after the 2022 assembly results but came together in the run up to the Mainpuri bypoll.
It all started on November 17 when Akhilesh and Dimple Yadav called on chacha Shivpal at his Saifai residence.
Akhilesh had tweeted a picture of the meeting saying: “Along with the blessings of ‘Netaji’ and elders of the family, the people of Mainpuri are also with us”.
Shivpal Yadav had also shared a picture of the meeting.
The next day Shivpal addressed a meeting of his supporters where he announced all out support for Dimple.
Later, Shivpal said his bahu (Dimple) was contesting elections and had sought his blessings.
“Who can say no to his bahu” he said and called on the electorate to ensure Dimple’s victory.
The duo had earlier patched up and come together in the run up to the 2022 assembly polls but parted ways soon after the election results were announced with Shivpal accusing the SP of not according him due respect.
With Akhilesh and Shivpal having parted ways twice since the bitter battle for supremacy within the Samajwadi Party that began in 2016, the coming together of the Yadav clan once again is being seen with scepticism in terms of longevity of the patch-up between the uncle and the nephew.
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