Lagatar24 Desk
Lucknow, July 9: Shivpal Singh Yadav, the uncle of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadv, and key ally Om Prakash Rajbhar announced their support for BJP-led NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu, in the upcoming President polls on July 18. They announcement comes amid rising unhappiness in the opposition camp in Uttar Pradesh.
Shivpal Singh Yadav and Om Prakash Rajbhar, who is the chief of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), made the announcement after Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, hosted a dinner yesterday night for Droupadi 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 by news agency ANI as saying.
Hours before CM Yogi’s dinner, Om Prakash Rajbhar declared yesterday that he is “still with the Samajwadi Party, but will not remain together forcibly if Akhilesh Yadav doesn’t want it. I’ll wait until Akhilesh Yadav divorces me,” he said.
Shivpal Yadav took a swipe at Akhilesh Yadav, accusing him of being “immature” for not asking him to party gatherings and for various coalitions within the party moving in a different direction.
“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,” he said.
The latest source of contention in their tense relationship is Akhilesh Yadav’s decision to not invite both Shivpal Yadav and Om Prakash Rajbhar to a Thursday meeting with Yashwant Sinha, the joint opposition candidate for the 2017 presidential elections.
