UP Polls 2017: Yadav family feud escalates as Shivpal, Akhilesh issue parallel lists of candidates for SP

Samajwadi Party Uttar Pradesh chief Shivpal Singh Yadav on Monday night issued the complete list of candidates for the upcoming UP state elections. The list came out at around midnight as an emergency measure after current UP CM and his nephew Akhilesh Yadav issued a parallel list of candidates, including his loyal supporters who were dropped from the original list.

In an act of defiance to his family, Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday released the list of 235 candidates out of 403 seats for the upcoming state assembly elections. 

The 235 candidates include 171 current MLAs in Akhilesh Government along with some new names.  The candidates for the rest of the seats will be announced soon, a party notification said.

The list will be construed as an act war against his uncle Shivpal Yadav and father Mulayam Singh Yadav, as Samajwadi Party supremo has already issued a list of candidates for 325 candidates earlier on Wednesday. 

Also read | UP CM Akhilesh Yadav releases list of 235 candidates for upcoming UP Assembly elections

UP CM #AkhileshYadav releases list of 235 candidate out of the total 403 seats for upcoming #upelections2017 pic.twitter.com/tp6DFt4cfW

— News Nation (@NewsNationTV) December 29, 2016

The feud within the Samajwadi Party appeared to deepen on Thursday as an upset Akhilesh Yadav assured tickets to the MLAs who didn’t find a place in party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav’s list of candidates announced on Wednesday for Uttar Pradesh polls.

Here are the latest updates:

#11:40PM

List of MLA Candidates Declaration for Vidhan Sabha 2017 pic.twitter.com/p9fJR9dHxU

— Shivpal Singh Yadav (@shivpalsinghyad) December 29, 2016

List of MLA Candidates Declaration for Vidhan Sabha 2017 pic.twitter.com/mutf6Zb07T

— Shivpal Singh Yadav (@shivpalsinghyad) December 29, 2016

#10:45PM

Shivpal Yadav reaches Mulayam Singh's residence in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: ANI

#10:30PM

Shivpal Yadav to issue his complete list of 403 candidates for UP assembly elections: Reports

9:00PM

#Ateeq Ahmad,Rampal Yadav,Amanmani Tripathi,Shadab Fatima,Narad Roy, OP Singh (included in Mulayam's list) find no mention in Akhilesh's list

# UP polls 2017: Akhilesh includes Pawan Pandey,Indal Rawat,Arvind Singh Gope, Atul Pradhan, Brij Lal Sonkar, Ram Govind Chaudhary in his list

Till 7:00PM

#Several MLAs and ministers reach Mulayam's residence

#Shivpal Yadav reaches Mulayam Singh Yadav's residence

#According to sources, Akhilesh will announce a new list of 167 candidates shortly

#Scores of Akhilesh supporters have gathered outside his residence in UP

#Akhilesh Yadav has assured tickets to MLAs who were left out in Mulayam’s list of candidates

#We want Akhilesh to be UP CM again and in 2019 we will take him to Delhi to make him the PM: Brijlal Sonkar, SP MLA

#With Mulayam Singh Yadav's public snub to his son in announcement of candidates list for UP polls leaving bitterness in the ruling camp, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday spoke to the SP supremo to convey his displeasure over the choice of names. 

#The factional feud in the Samajwadi Party was again in the open, a day after Mulayam Singh Yadav declared candidates for 325 of the 403 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh and ruled out projecting Akhilesh as the Chief Ministerial candidate.

Jo log Mukhyamantri ji ke nazdeeki hain unke ticket kaate gaye hain: Indal Rawat,SP MLA pic.twitter.com/a0wbYP73lR

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 29, 2016

#A clearly upset Akhilesh on Thursday met his supporters at his 5-Kalidas Marg residence and later spoke to his father and party patriarch Mulayam Singh to convey his displeasure over the list of candidates from which names of his close confidants were missing, party sources said. 

#Hectic political activities began right from the morning with party leaders gathering outside the residences of Akhilesh and Mulayam. A big crowd also assembled outside Shivpals residence.

ALSO READ | UP polls: Fresh Akhilesh-Shivpal tussle after Samajwadi Party releases list of party candidates

#Party sources said the Chief Minister, before meeting Mulayam, met legislators and office bearers who do not figure in the list of nominees.

The list, which includes 176 sitting MLAs, announced by Mulayam and Shivpal in the absence of Akhilesh, has left out several pro-Akhilesh ministers, including Ram Govind Chaudhary, Pawan Pandey and Arvind Singh Gope, and does not carry names of over 50 sitting MLAs.
Besides, 10 ministers, including Shivpal, sacked by the chief minister over the past few months have got tickets. These former ministers were in open defiance of Akhilesh and it paid off.

Within hours after release of the list, which clearly bore the stamp of Mulayam and Shivpal, Akhilesh who was away in Bundelkhand yesterday, had said he would take up the choice of candidates with the party chief.

ALSO READ | UP polls: After open snub, Akhilesh conveys displeasure to Mulayam over SP candidates' list

"The list does not include names of certain candidates who are sure to win. I will take it up with the SP chief and tell him that some of them have done really good work and they should be given tickets," an upset Akhilesh had said last night.

In a late night tit-for-tat action, the Chief Minister struck back sacking two Shivpal loyalists -- Surabhi Shukla, vice-chairperson of UP Awas Vikas Parishad and her husband Sandeep Shukla from the post of advisor of Rajkiya Nirman Nigam. Sandeep has been fielded from Sultanpur Sadar seat.

(With inputs from PTI)