Panchayat polls leave Samajwadi Party divided

The fissures that developed in the Samajwadi Party during the ongoing panchayat elections are an ominous signal for the party that is claiming to return to power next year.

The panchayat elections have not only widened the cracks in the party leadership, but have also led to increased factionalism at the grassroots level in the party organisation.

A number of party leaders, ministers and legislators are openly defying the leadership and fielding their own candidates — mostly their own relatives — for the post of the zila panchayat head.

For instance, Samajwadi Party MLA from Bijnore, Ms Ruchi Vira, was suspended from the party when she fielded her husband for the post in defiance of the party leadership. The suspension has obviously not had a dampening impact on her and her supporters are unabashedly campaigning against the Samajwadi Party candidate, even shouting anti-SP slogans.

“We are ready for the worst because, in any case, a SP ticket no longer guarantees a win in the 2017 assembly elections”, said a supporter of the MLA In Gonda, the daughter-in-law of SP minister Vinod Singh Pandit and wife of former minister Yogesh Pratap Singh had filed their nomination.

The party had nominated the wife of Yogesh Pratap Singh but when Vinod Singh Pandit refused to toe the party line, the former was asked to withdraw from the fray.

Another SP MLA Kuldeep Sengar’s wife has filed her nomination for the zila panchayat’s head in Unnao against the official party candidate and a face-off is now.

“The Samajwadi Party has used all means to ensure the unopposed election of zila panchayat heads in 33 districts. This is a gross misuse of the government machinery”, said Congress MP P.L. Punia.

Those elected unopposed, include relatives of party leaders. Sandhya Yadav, elected unopposed from Mainpuri, is the sister of SP MP Dharmendra Yadav and Anshul Yadav, elected from Etawah, is the nephew of Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Similarly, the brothers of UP minister Arvind Singh Gope and SP MLC Ashu Malik, son of UP minister Raj Kishore Singh are among those who have been elected unopposed. But trouble continues to brew in the remaining 40 odd districts. Even where SP candidates have been elected unopposed, there is discontent brewing in the party ranks.

“The recent expulsion, suspensions and elections have thrown the party into a state of turmoil but we are confident that the ruffled feathers will be smoothened in the coming months. We still have time for the elections and our leaders will set things right by then,” said a senior minister.