Cracks in Yadav family: Tussle continues between Akhilesh and Shivpal; Mulayam in a fix

Lucknow: All is not well within the powerful Yadav family in Uttar Pradesh.

Reports of Akhilesh Yadav-Shivpal Yadav rift over possible alliance with merger of mafia don Mukhtar Ansari's Quami Ekta Dal (QED) have been hogging the headlines for some time now.

The alleged rift between CM Akhilesh and his uncle Shivpal over possible alliance with merger of mafia don QED has taken the Samajwadi Party to a brink, where party leaders, including Mulayam Singh Yadav is finding hard to find a way out.

It is being learnt that Akhilesh met party supremo and his father Mulayam Monday night and reiterated his stand that he would not accept QED's merger with SP.

Some section of the SP is of the belief that QED would attract Muslim votes from the Poorvanchal region, however, Akhilesh, who is the face of the party in the assembly elections thinks that QED's entry would seriously dent party's image.

Since June, Shivpal has been apparently highly miffed with party high-command over Samajwadi Party's U-turn on merger with QED.

Shivpal is reportedly upset as some of the decisions in the party were taken without consulting him.

The SP had revoked its merger with gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s QEM. The merger of the two parties was announced on June 21 by Samajwadi Party spokesman and senior Cabinet Minister Shipal Yadav, who is the brother of Akhilesh’s father and party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Recently, Shivpal, who has been appointed as the state in charge of the party for the the high-voltage scheduled next year, said some leaders and officers were not listening to him, and if the trend continues, he would be forced to resign.

Mulayam on Monday confirmed this saying that senior party leader and Uttar Pradesh minister Shivpal Yadav had earlier resigned from his post twice, but withdrew it on his insistence.

"I stopped Shivpal Yadav from resigning from his post. If Shivpal quits, the Samajwadi Party will be in deep trouble. There's some conspiracy taking place against Shivpal. While he is engaged in his work, there are some who persecutes him," Mulayam said.

With high-voltage elections just months away, the widening rift between Akhilesh and Shivpal could hurt party's prospects badly.