Lucknow: In a flurry of indecisiveness, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has switched candidates on several key seats in Uttar Pradesh just weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, causing consternation among its cadres.
The party has shifted seven candidates in six seats in last two weeks showing indecisiveness within the party leadership over selection of candidates.
The latest change came in Meerut, where Sunita Verma, former mayor of Meerut, was announced as the party's candidate after replacing advocate Bhanu Pratap Singh and Sardhana MLA Atul Pradhan in quick succession. This decision followed a morning meeting on Thursday called by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, where Atul Pradhan and Yogesh Verma, Sunita's husband and former MLA, were present. After discussions, Akhilesh decided to field Sunita, with Pradhan's consent.
While the party claims these changes are in response to requests and recommendations from local leaders and voters, the frequent reshuffles have left supporters bewildered and disheartened. Party seniors, however, assert that these decisions are taken after thorough consultations with stakeholders in each constituency.
A particularly puzzling situation unfolded in Moradabad, where sitting MP ST Hasan was initially named as the candidate, only to be replaced by Ruchi Veera, a pick of veteran leader Azam Khan. However, minutes after the nomination deadline, the party tried to reinstate Hasan as the candidate but it was too late.
Similar confusion reigned in Rampur, where Azam Khan's preferred candidate, Asim Raja, was sidelined in favor of Maulana Moibullah Nadvi, the Imam of Parliament Street Jama Masjid in Delhi. At one time, there were speculations that Akhilesh Yadav’s nephew Tej Pratap Yadav will contest from Rampur.
In other constituencies like Baghpat, Gautam Budh Nagar, and Bijnor, candidate changes occurred amid speculations and strategic considerations, further adding to the sense of disarray among party members.
In Baghpat, SP firsl declared Amarpal Sharma as party candidate but was replaced by Manoj Chaudhary. In courious turn of events in Gautam Budh Nagar, SP first nominated Mahendra Singh Nagar, only to be replaced by Rahul Awana four days later. Finally, SP leadership once again declared Nagar as the candidate on March 30.
Similarly, in the Bijnor seat, the party first fielded Yashvir Singh but later replaced him with Deepak Saini, son of sitting SP MLA from Noorpur, Ram Avtar Saini.
RLD Chief Jayant Chaudhry took a dig at SP over the on-going musical chair game and wrote a post on X saying: “Ccongratulatons to the "lucky ones in the opposition (who) will get a chance, for a few hours" to contest in the 2024 general election.
Additionally, there's a new development within the SP, as Shivpal Yadav's son, Aditya Yadav, is poised to enter electoral politics, potentially replacing his father as the party's candidate for the Baduan parliamentary seat. This decision follows a resolution from the Gunnaur assembly segment, seeking Aditya's candidature, indicating a shift towards younger leadership within the party.
Aditya's entry into politics adds another dimension to the Yadav clan's political influence in Uttar Pradesh, with several family members already holding significant political positions within the state.
As the Lok Sabha elections draw nearer, the SP faces not only the challenge of electoral competition but also the task of maintaining cohesion within its ranks amidst these last-minute changes and internal shifts.
