Shivpal, Akhilesh unwilling to unite

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav’s efforts to bring his son Akhilesh Yadav and younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav together do not seem to be bearing fruit.
Shivpal Singh Yadav categorically said that he had no plans to merge his Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL) into the Samajwadi Party.
“My party is building up and we are growing from strength to strength. I have no plan to merge my party with SP. It is too late in the day. However, if there is a proposal for an alliance, we may consider the same,” he said.
Akhilesh, on the other hand, is said to be completely against the return of his estranged uncle to the SP fold.
“With great effort, Akhilesh has managed to establish himself as the undisputed leader of his party and he naturally does not want his uncle to return and challenge his authority again,” said a supporter of the SP chief.
Mulayam, who initiated a patch-up effort between his son and brother after the BSP called off its alliance with the SP, has warned the family that unless it unites, its political survival would be at stake.
Three members of the Yadav family — Dimple Yadav, Dharmendra Yadav and Akshay Yadav — have lost the lok Sabha elections and the party’s tally rests at five members in the Lok Sabha.
Akhilesh, too, is facing pressure from his cadres. Having failed in the 2014 Lok Sabha, 2017 Assembly and now 2019 Lok Sabha elections, his leadership is now being questioned and if he fails to put his act together, the voices of dissent may grow louder. (IANS)