Barely a fortnight after it released its first list of 143 candidates for the 2017 Assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh is facing a revolt-like situation in several Assembly segmen
Barely a fortnight after it released its first list of 143 candidates for the 2017 Assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh is facing a revolt-like situation in several Assembly segments.
The party, facing pressure from the cadres, has already changed about 10 tickets and reports of resentment are emerging on over 50 Assembly seats.
“We do not know who is exactly responsible for the selection of candidates but tickets have been given to those who worked against the party in the recent panchayat elections. Dedicated party workers have been ignored and no effort has been made to assess the winnability of a candidate. We will definitely raise the issue before the party high command and ensure that tickets are changed,” said a district-level office-bearer.
For instance, in Varanasi, effigies of the official candidate Arvind Maurya have been burnt and demonstrations are being held on four Assembly segments in this district alone.
The maximum resentment is being seen on seats in eastern UP and youth leaders in the party are taking up the matter with chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is also the state party president. “The CM is aware of the situation and changes may be effected in more than four dozen Assembly seats. If there is a conflict between the candidate and the local party workers, it does not augur well for the party and may damage us in the elections. In such situations, it would be better to bring in a neutral candidates who is acceptable to all,” said a senior party functionary.
Sources said that confusion prevailed in the first list because all top leaders tried to push in their candidates, without bothering to make an assessment of factors like the image of the candidate, his acceptability in the party and caste equations at the local level.
Besides, factionalism in the party is also rather pronounced in several districts and there is a visible difference of opinion between the ministers, legislators and party workers.
Senior UP minister Shivpal Singh Yadav, however, said that the loyalty and winnability of a candidate were the two most important factors on which the list had been prepared.
“The 2017 assembly polls are crucial for us and every seat counts. We will not compromise on these two factors. We have announced the list so early because we want to monitor the progress of candidates and if anyone is found lacking, we will not hesitate in replacing him”, he said.
A number of ministers, who have not been able to get tickets for the relatives in the first list, are also upset with the party leadership.
