By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net
It is almost unfair, the amount of coverage Samajwadi Party has been getting in the course of the upcoming UP elections. But please, do not take this opportunity to blame journalists. If one is looking for ‘stories’, no one can match the family feud of the Samajwadi Party. And yesterday’s ticket distribution was just another chapter in the story of the state’s most famous, and influential, family.
But is ticket distribution the only reason for resentment of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in Samajwadi Party?
Are SP leaders, who have been denied tickets, hardcore Akhilesh supporters? Was this the only reason they were denied a ticket?
Would these sulking leaders been happy if it was Akhilesh who had not given them ticket?
Obviously, answers to these questions for anyone familiar with the state’s politics will be a big NO. We can infer that ticket distribution is not the only reason for squabble in SP family. It may be however one of the reasons.
In March 2012, when Akhilesh took over as the CM of India’s most populous state, there was hope among millions resting. People believed that he is young, visionary and will deliver. He has delivered on several fronts. But politics of Hindi belt is based on several other equations. Caste combinations, local developments within the party and even in other parties weigh heavily in deciding the outcome of the result.
Akhilesh got the throne but there were many contenders. In other parties, the claimant are within the party but in SP it was within the party and family. The tussle thus remained under cover for nearly four years. If one rewinds the speech of Akhilesh Yadav given in party office in October, he had candidly admitted how the top most bureaucratic post chief secretary is given in UP, how ministers are sacked from the ministry, how party appoints leaders on various posts and several other issues. It was officially the first time that tussle between Shivpal and Akhilesh came out in open with both speaking publicly.
However, at least people in Lucknow were not surprised as all these talks were going round in the capital for a long time.
The development established the fact that Akhilesh has not been given a free hand when it came to ruling as a CM.
However it was other way round.
Akhilesh never tried to gain a free hand and instead, remained under the shadows of his father Mulayam. He was burdened with expectations of his family members and had to accept the aspirations of senior party leaders while managing numerous other things.
Everybody in Lucknow believes that from day one Akhilesh did not get the right to choose his ministry (most of the members were same who were in Mulayam’s cabinet), did not appoint officials, did not had much say in party affairs.
With these belief, Akhilesh can earn the sympathy but it is raises a massive question on his leadership skills. His thumping victory in 2012 was enough for him to take steps and move ahead on his own. But he lacked the initiative. Things were allowed to prosper and interventions were done only when they went out of control. Even after these interventions, everything was again kept under wraps in family.
Now there is a situation where 47 sitting MLAs have been denied tickets, including a few ministers. Overnight, all of them have become die-hard Akhilesh supporters. The media too is raking up the issue of Akhilesh supporters being denied tickets. But as said earlier, ticket distribution is not the main issue. The numbers are only 14.46% in a list of 325 candidates. Every party changes its tickets on 20% seats.
But this time it is being projected that Akhilesh will now serve ultimatum. It is hard to imagine that a leader who failed to select his officials for his whole tenure will take such a stand for few tickets.
In four years, UP got a leader who had nearly three decades of career ahead of him but the opportunity has been spoiled. Things would have been different if there was assertion with authority from day one.
Now the stage is set for other claimants within the family and Akhilesh’s any decision will benefit. If he parts ways—they will be happy, if he concedes —they will be happier.
Sorry, Akhilesh you missed the opportunity.