On young Akhilesh as CM, old SP leaders do their turf maths

The road to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s office for Akhilesh Yadav, the architect of Samajwadi Party’s handsome victory in the Assembly elections, remains uncertain. Fearing an end to their hegemony, some old-timers are discreetly opposing the idea of 38-year-old Akhilesh as the next chief minister of the country’s most populous and politically powerful state.

Within the Yadav family, the party’s national president Mulayam Singh Yadav and think tank Prof Ramgopal Yadav favour Akhilesh as CM, while Mulayam’s younger brother Shivpal Yadav is unimpressed with the idea.

On Wednesday, amid national media attention when Samajwadi Party’s national parliamentary board met in Lucknow, it failed to arrive at a consensus over who will head the government — Mulayam or Akhilesh. The party’s national general secretary Azam Khan was conspicuous by his absence. Party leaders will meet again after Holi festival, which falls on Thursday.

Barring party general secretary Naresh Agarwal, who supported Akhilesh as CM, every other leader ducked the question. “SP has won such a clear mandate for the first time in its history. Akhilesh’s contribution is immense. Youths identify with him and people also want to see Akhilesh as CM,” said Naresh Agarwal.

The meeting, which began at noon in SP headquarters, was chaired by Mulayam Singh Yadav. A resolution thanking the voters and party workers for the thumping majority was passed.

Prof Ramgopal Yadav next asked the members about their opinion for making Akhilesh as CM. Naresh Aggarwal was the first one to speak and supported the idea. There were moments of discomfort for some old leaders who preferred Mulayam Singh to protect their hegemony. Party vice-president Brijbhushan Tiwari reportedly opposed the idea and even said that this could lead to resentment among senior legislators.