Both Akhilesh Yadav and uncle Shivpal Yadav had submitted their lists of candidates to Mulayam Singh
Highlights
- Mulayam Singh Yadav got separate candidates' lists from brother and son
- Shivpal Yadav's pick Atiq Ahmed, facing 44 criminal charges, in SP list
- Akhilesh Yadav's close aides present among the 53 SP lawmakers dropped
Mulayam Singh Yadav was sent separate recommendations for most seats for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections by brother Shivpal Yadav and son Akhilesh Yadav. On Wednesday he announced 325 Samajwadi Party candidates in capital Lucknow and the selection shows that Shivpal has again scored over Akhilesh, who is Chief Minister of UP. The brother was present when party chief Mulayam Singh made the announcement, the son was away in another part of the state.
"I have not gone by any one list, many people had given lists, and I have gone by my choice," said Mulayam Singh, also reiterating that the Samajwadi Party would contest the crucial elections on its own. But in the Samajwadi Party not yet naming candidates for 78 seats in UP, it is seen as leaving a door open for a last-minute partnership with the Congress, pitched by Akhilesh Yadav as a sure-shot combination to win over 300 or UP's 403 seats.
Among those who have made it to SP's list of candidates is Atiq Ahmed, who faces 44 serious criminal charges including that of murder. He was handpicked by Shivpal Yadav, who serves as the party's UP chief, for his "winnability". Akhilesh Yadav was dead against fielding Mr Ahmed.
But 53 other sitting lawmakers out of the Samajwadi Party's current 224 have been dropped. Among them are close aides of the Chief Minister like Arvind Singh 'Gop' and Pawan Pandey.
Leaders close to Akhilesh Yadav deny that he has been snubbed once more by his father.
On Sunday, miffed with his uncle's choice for many seats, Akhilesh Yadav had submitted his recommendations for all 403 seats to Mulayam Singh, even as Shivpal Yadav tweeted that his was the final word.
Mulayam Singh on Wednesday said Akhilesh Yadav would contest from any seat he chose, but for a second time made it clear that he would not be projected as the party's presumptive chief minister. The elected MLAs would choose their own leader once the party won, he said.
In Akhilesh Yadav's bitter feud with his uncle - constructed around who shall call the shots in selecting candidates for the UP elections and now on for months - Mulayam Singh has mostly sided with Shivpal Yadav.