With MLC polls move, SP accommodates Azam Khan but alliance splinters
The Samajwadi Party’s decision not to allot a single ticket to its allies for the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections has created fissures in its relationship with its allies, with the Mahan Dal led by Keshav Dev Maurya announcing its exit from the alliance and Om Prakash Rajbhar’s Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) expressing disappointment.
The disgruntled allies feel the senior SP leader Azam Khan’s imprint is all over the Opposition party’s decision and SP president Akhilesh Yadav cold-shouldered them to appease his senior party colleague. SBSP general secretary Arun Rajbhar told The Indian Express after the SP announced its decision on Wednesday, “He (Akhilesh) is going after them (Muslims), but is not seeing that the Backwards (Other Backward Classes, or OBCs) are more important for the alliance. All decisions are being made based on the directions from the senior leader (Azam). If Akhilesh ji wants to continue the alliance then he must make up his mind whether he wants us or not. Because alliances mean sharing. What is happening is the opposite.”
That all was not well between Azam and Akhilesh became apparent two months ago when Azam’s media in-charge Fasahat Ali Khan, also known as Shanu, accused the SP chief of ignoring the veteran leader. At the time, Azam was in prison. Fasahat claimed that Akhilesh had ignored the veteran leader during the over two-year period he spent in prison, and did not pay heed to the issues of the Muslim community. Questions were raised about why the SP president was not standing by the community that forms one part of its voter base and ensured a decent result in the state elections earlier this year.
