In the wake of growing differences within the opposition in Uttar Pradesh, leader of opposition Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle Shivpal Yadav and key ally Om Prakash Rajbhar declared their support for Droupadi Murmu, the NDA’s candidate for President’s election. The election is scheduled to take place on 18th July.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had hosted a dinner for Droupadi Murmu last night. Shivpal Singh Yadav and Om Prakash Rajbhar, after attending the dinner, announced their support for Murmu.
“Neither Samajwadi Party called me, nor asked for my vote. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath invited me yesterday where I met NDA’s Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu and decided to vote for her,” Shivpal Yadav was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
On Thursday, Akhilesh Yadav had hosted opposition’s Presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha. However, both, Shivpal Yadav and Om Prakash Rajbhar, were not invited for this meeting.
Om Prakash Rajbhar, the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief, had then said that he is “still with the Samajwadi Party, but will not remain together forcefully if Akhilesh Yadav doesn’t want it”.
Shivpal Yadav, taking a jibe at Akhilesh for what he called his political “immaturity”, said that was the reason why several alliances of the party are now taking a separate route.
“If Akhilesh Yadav took my suggestions seriously, the condition of the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh would be completely different. Several alliances of Samajwadi Party are now leaving them and the reason is the political immaturity of the party chief,” Yadav further said.
Rajbhar, who had criticised Akhilesh Yadav after the party lost Lok Sabha bypolls in Uttar Pradesh to the ruling BJP, asked: “Can he point out one election he has won on his own?” Rajbhar claimed that Akhilesh had become Chief Minister in 2012 because of his father Mulayam Singh Yadav’s “largesse”.
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