Mulayam Yadav’s SP gets cold feet over Janata merger

Contrary to claims that Janata Parivar parties were on track towards a merger, this seems to have hit a roadblock with its largest constituent, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, developing cold feet due to its likely ramifications in Uttar Pradesh.

“After the JD(U)-RJD merger in Bihar, the united outfit will seek an alliance with the Congress in this year’s state Assembly elections. In such a scenario, the proposed outfit will seek to replicate the Bihar experiment in UP as well. The SP has no need for an alliance with Congress in UP,” said a senior SP leader close to Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav. The SP is also wary over the fact that there are too many JD(U) and RJD leaders who will be looking at UP for Rajya Sabha berths next year, when biennial elections to the Upper House of Parliament are due. “With the SP commanding an absolute majority in the UP Assembly, why should our party concede ground to leaders of Bihar parties which have lost clout in their bastion,” the SP leader asked.

The SP’s reluctance over the merger is also the result of prolonged internal consultations that have indicated its key leaders in UP feel they have nothing tangible to gain from such a move.