Mainpuri dilemma for Mulayam Singh Yadav: Kin or a biggie? - Times of India

LUCKNOW: Mainpuri may not yet be a done deal. If murmurs within the party's leadership are any indication of the turbulence within, there's a growing perception SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav must look beyond family to keep him company in parliament.

The public perception has clearly found resonance with Mulayam himself; after the Samajwadi Party rout in the general elections this year, reprimanding son and CM Akhilesh, Mulayam had said, "Main baithoonga kiske saath?" (Who will I sit with?) With only five seats in the parliament - all of them represented by the Yadav family - the SP now faces the challenge of making its presence felt in the parliament.

Daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav, the Kannauj MP, in her previous term was an occasional visitor, but made little contribution. Nephew Dharmendra Yadav asked the occasional question, but will also not match Mulayam's prowess in parliament. Akshay, Ramgopal's son and the newest entrant into the lower house, is unlikely to be any help either. That leaves Mulayam with only one choice; that when he gives up his Mainpuri seat, he accommodates someone who can match him speech-for-speech in parliament and reinforce SP's presence, despite the reduced numbers.

In the SP at present, there are only two loyal names who fit the bill; Azam Khan and Mata Prasad Pandey. And murmurs that it may indeed be wise to accommodate them right now - and field grandson Tej Pratap Yadav later - are gaining ground. A senior party functionary said, "Since the party's presence has been reduced drastically, SP needs desperately to assert its presence in parliament. Mulayam will hold fort comfortably, but if he can get the support of Azam Khan or Mata Prasad Pandey, both of who have considerable legislative experience, it will help the party a lot."

Both Azam Khan and Mata Prasad Pandey have excellent track records in the legislative assembly. Khan has been elected to the UP legislative assembly eight times and has served as parliamentary affairs ministers twice. His speech-making skills are well known and his candidature, if Mulayam considers it, would also send out a strong message to the minority community, which Azam represents and has considerable clout over. Pandey, on the other hand, is another party loyalist who has been speaker of the UP legislative assembly twice and may serve as the SP's attempt to reach out to the upper caste lobby that has not, traditionally, been the SP vote bank, but whose addition can only bolster the party's image.