Akhilesh Yadav wins UP’s dangal, back in party

New Delhi: The generational shift in the Samajwadi Parivar is complete. At least it seemed so after 77-year-old party chief and father Mulayam Singh Yadav was forced to revoke the expulsion of his 43-year-old rebel son and state chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday, less than 24 hours after he had sacked him for anti-party activities.

With the entire party, including some of his loyalists, abandoning him in favour of his son and facing an imminent split that --could have reduced his clout, Mulayam Singh Yadav was left with no option but to reconcile with his son.

Akhilesh Yadav’s victory was complete when the SP chief also revoked the expulsion of party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav whom he had accused of  “ruining Akhilesh’s political career” and trying “to take over SP.” The party’s official website even dropped the pictures of Shivpal Yadav, who had replaced Akhilesh Yadav as the state unit chief. Akhilesh Yadav’s photographs are back to dominate the site.

Swallowing a bitter pill, Shivpal Yadav said, “SP will fight the 2017 Assembly elections unitedly to defeat the communal forces.” As a compromise, Ram Gopal Yadav called off the January 1 emergency meeting he had summoned to challenge the leadership of Mulayam Singh Yadav.

With Akhilesh Yadav back at the helm of affairs, talks of a possible alliance with the Congress and the RLD resurfaced yet again. The SP top brass will meet to bring out a final list of candidates, which is now certain to have Akhilesh Yadav’s stamp on it. Both father and son had come out their own lists of candidates.