By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net
Even though the UP elections are almost upon us, it seems that the Samajwadi Party just cannot sort out its internal differences.
As if there were not enough issues between the party’s top brass, a high profile assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh—Sardhana in Meerut—has become another bone of contention between Samajwadi Party’s state president Shivpal Yadav and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Currently, the seat is held by BJP MLA Sangeet Singh Som who is now in a comfortable position watching the check-mate game going on within the SP family.
First, AKhilesh faction threw his weight behind Atul Pradhan. The youth leader was appointed as state president of SP’s Chhatra Sabha. He was in news when he made allegations that Som reportedly had a share in a meat slaughtering plant. Being close to Akhilesh, he called the shots in Meerut district. Such is his proximity to Akhilesh that during the recently concluded election for zila panchayat chairman, his wife Seema Pradhan was given ticket by SP even as the claim of cabinet minister Shahid Manzoor’s son Nawazish was over ruled. Shahid Manzoor watched helplessly.
As fortune changed, there was political squabble within SP family and several youth leaders including Pradhan were expelled by Shivpal from the party. Pradhan was sure about his candidature from Sardhana as he had contested the 2012 polls.
But there were other plans from Shivpal group. They fielded Pintu Rana and gave him free hand. Rana is a Thakur and SP feels that it will be beneficial for the party. Rana got his supporters appointed at important posts in SP’s organizational set up at Sardhana. He also managed to make inroads in ZIla Panchayat by inducting three members from opposite parties in SP in front of Shivpal. He also organized a Gurjar panchayat in his favour to counter the claim of Pradhan who is also a Gurjar.
Meanwhile Akhilesh further tried to pep up Pradhan by giving him X category security cover.
Since then the relationship between these two groups has been anything but steady. Pradhan is still hopeful hopeful of contesting the polls and it has been reported that he has publicly announced that his leader is Akhilesh not Shivpal.
Whatever be the result, but Sardhana seat in Meerut will decide the relations between Yadav family and also the fact—in whose favour the scales are tilted. In 2012. Pradhan was placed third with 48,023 votes. Som of BJP won the seat with 62,438 votes while Haji Mohammad Yaqoob of RLD was second with 50,164 votes.