Work cut out for Tipu: Discard dons from Samajwadi Party

NEW DELHI: After taking over as Samajwadi Party president, UP CM Akhilesh Yadav has the uphill task of keeping out dons like Mukhtar Ansari and Atiq Ahmed as party candidates in the assembly polls, overlooking their appeal among minority voters in the state's eastern region.

Akhilesh had revolted against father Mulayam Singh Yadav over several issues, including the two don turned-politicians making it to the list of candidates for the polls. Mukhar's Qaumi Ekta Dal has merged with SP and Atiq was made the party candidate from Kanpur Cantonment, although he belongs to Allahabad.

Mulayam's recent outburst that Akhilesh was anti-Muslim and had tried to stall appointment of a Muslim as state police chief also stems from the CM's specific reservation about Mukhtar and Atiq.

Sitting MLA from Mau in east ern UP , Mukhtar and his brother Afzal hold sway over the minority population in three-four districts, including Ghazipur, Azamgarh and Ballia. The weaving community swears by the brothers despite Mukhtar being in jail for several years.

During Lok Sabha polls, Afzal had contested from Ballia as Qaumi Ekta Dal's candidate. Other than the “Modi wave“, Afzal's pres ence was seen as a key fac tor in the defeat of SP candi date Neeraj Shekhar, who lost the seat known as a fam ily pocket-borough.

Atiq is equally powerful in Allahabad and Kanpur regions having strong appeal among minority voters and the MulayamShivpal combine had roped in the two dons to safeguard the party's traditional winning combine of Muslim-Yadav -M-Y factor.

Party insiders said one of the several issues on which father-son had differences was the fast changing strategy towards safeguarding the M-Y factor.