UP polls: Yadav family feud to affect candidate selection in Samajwadi Party

NEW DELHI: The factional feud in the Samajwadi Party leadership is all set to vitiate the candidate-selection process for the upcoming UP assembly elections, fear party leaders.

“It (feud in public) has begun denting the party,” conceded an SP leader, underlining how it will have a bearing on candidate selection. “If ticket distribution happens in this situation, it will lead to very poor candidate selection as either side will be interested in shooting down other’s suggestion,” reasoned an SP leader.

Party leaders are curious about the domain of candidate selection as part of the agreement that is worked out to resolve the crisis. “Irrespective of who gets what, the most important thing that Netaji (Mulayam) needs to resolve is who will have an upper hand on campaign and candidate selection,” underlined an SP leader who was recently deputed to hold boothlevel meetings of the party.

Prima facie, Shivpal Yadav’s appointment as UP unit chief has given him a bit of extra leverage over Akhilesh Yadav in candidate selection. However, party leaders sounded apprehensive about it because they feel Akhilesh is a better campaigner and will lead the campaign.

While the section rooting for Shivpal highlights his organisational connect to suggest he is the best bet for candidate selection, his detractors say “leaving candidate selection to Shivpal means giving a free hand to Amar Singh”.

With Singh and Shivpal appearing on the one side and Akhilesh and Ram Gopal Yadav on the other, the suspicion against each other is likely to vitiate the candidate selection process.

Although SP has already announced candidates mostly for the seats currently held by the opposition parties in the UP assembly, the crucial task of selecting candidates for seats where SP won in 2012 remains pending. With candidates for over 250 assembly seats yet to be announced, the winner of current factional fight in the SP is likely to dictate terms.