In a fresh bout of tussle between Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and state Samajwadi party chief Shivpal Yadav, both the leaders have issued different candidate lists for the upcoming Assembly elections. The state has the highest number of Legislative Assembly seats.
Akhilesh is opposed to the choice of candidates of Shivpal, who happens to be party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's brother, since they have criminal records. Akhilesh met his father on Sunday to give him a list of candidates he would like to field in the elections.
Shivpal, however, tweeted during the weekend what seems to be a warning for Akhilesh. He said that as state party chief he would take the call regarding who to field, and that candidates are being chosen for their "winnability".
"Ticket will be distributed based on wins. So far 175 people have been given ticket," tweeted Shivpal. "Chief Minister will be selected by the legislative party which is according to the party's constitution," he said, adding that no "indiscipline will be tolerated in the party."
Mulayam and Shivpal have both said in the past that the position of chief minister will not automatically go to Akhilesh. The legislative committee of the party will take the call.
"Yes he has submitted a list and he is well within his rights to do so .Mulayam Singh ji will take the final call on candidates," Juhi Singh, a senior leader of the party, said, according to reports.
Among candidates being fielded by Shivpal are Atiq Ahmed from Kanpur, who has 40 criminal cases; Sigbatullah Ansari, the brother of jailed gangster Mukhtar Ansari; and Aman Mani Tripathi, a suspect for the death of his wife.
Akhilesh, on the other hand, has been struggling to change the image of the party as a progressive, development-oriented unit. He recently approved several schemes and programmes before the end of the Assembly session. He also tried to take a harder stand on the state of law and order in Uttar Pradesh, which falls flat if those with criminal records are fielded.
However, his father recently removed him as party chief, replacing him with Shivpal.
A senior BJP leader, Vijay Bahadur Pathak, scoffed at the state of disarray in Samajwadi Party.
"And they talk about giving a fight to the BJP," Pathak said, adding that the party's internal battle will lead to its defeat in the elections.
