Samajwadi Party Civil War Leaves Yadavs With Limited Options

There are limited options before SP as the civil war within the top satraps of the party takes an ugly turn.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav stripped his uncle Shivpal of key ministries on Tuesday. (Photo: The Quint)

Today (Wednesday, 14 September) is a very big day – or rather a make-or-break day – for the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh. The civil war within the top satraps of the party has taken such an ugly turn that anything could happen.

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is rushing from New Delhi to Lucknow and he has called his brother Shivpal Yadav from Saifai in Etawah to Lucknow too. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is already stationed in the state capital.

There are very limited options before the party now:

Option 1. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav relents and gives back the key portfolios stripped from Shivpal Yadav back to him.

Option 2. Shivpal Yadav resigns from the cabinet of ministers. He also quits the Uttar Pradesh Samajwadi Party President post.

Option 3. Akhilesh Yadav steps down from the post of Chief Minister, making way for Mulayam Singh Yadav to become the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for the fourth time and see the party through the Assembly elections.

Option 4. If nothing works out, Akhilesh Yadav could well meet Governor Ram Naik and recommend a dissolution of the state Assembly. This technically means that the Chief Minister should have the recommendation from the cabinet of ministers for this move. At this point in time, he does not have this recommendation. And if Akhilesh tenders his own resignation, the ball will be in the Governor’s court to invite the party, which he feels has the numbers, to form government.

Whatever happens, the net result will be that any of the steps taken from the above mentioned, will ultimately lead to bad blood within the Yadav clan and the party, which is already facing anti-incumbency in the forthcoming elections, will end up with a diminished public image.