Mainpuri bypoll: SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav meet Shivpal Singh Yadav

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 17 (ANI): Ahead of the Mainpuri by-poll elections, Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav and SP Mainpuri candidate Dimple Yadav on Thursday met with Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) chief Shivpal Singh Yadav to discuss the elections.

Shivpal Yadav the founder of Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) is the younger brother of Samajwadi Party founder late Mulayam Singh Yadav, and uncle of Akhilesh Yadav.

Dimple Yadav is the wife of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, who is expected to carry the legacy of her father-in-law Mulayam Singh Yadav in the constituency.

Mainpuri seat, considered a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party, fell vacant on October 10 following the death of Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.

"Along with the leader and the elders of the house, the blessings of the people of Mainpuri are also with you!," Tweeted Akhilesh Yadav.

Earlier on November 16, Samajwadi Party included Shivpal Singh Yadav's name in the list of star campaigners for the bypoll to the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat where Dimple Yadav, wife of former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is the party candidate.

The meeting becomes crucial as Shivpal, who contested the UP elections earlier this year on the SP ticket, had a war of words with the party chief expressing discontent over the latter's "political immaturity".

This was the second time that Shivpal called his nephew Akhilesh "politically immature".

Speaking to ANI, following the letter Shivpal said that it would have been better if authorities have removed him from the legislature party.

"I came to know about the letter from the Samajwadi Party only through the media. I came to know that I have been given official freedom. I think it is political immaturity. It would have been better if they would have removed me from the legislature party and what is the need of this letter because according to the Constitution we are all free and it seems that all this is irrelevant," he said.

The PSP chief further said that he left his own party and worked hard for Samajwadi Party in the Assembly election.

Shivpal had contested the Assembly polls on an SP ticket and won from his traditional Jaswant Nagar seat in Etawah district.

Shivpal Singh Yadav severed ties with his nephew in 2017 and formed his party after in 2018. But contested the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections from Jaswantnagar as SP's candidate. However, the ties did not seem to last for long as both are miffed with each other since they faced defeat at the hands of the BJP in the Assembly polls.

Talking about the further alliance with another party like BJP, he said, "Right now I am preparing and strengthening my party. If whenever there is talk of any alliance, it will come in front of you. There is no bar for alliance anywhere."

The polling for the bypoll will take place on December 5 and the votes will be counted on December 8, coinciding with the result dates of the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections.

The last date for filing nominations is November 17, while the date of scrutiny for nominations is November 18. The candidates will be able to withdraw their candidature till November 21. (ANI)

Source: National