SP chief Akhilesh's uncle Shivpal Yadav to join BJP soon?
What's the story
The political scene in Uttar Pradesh took a new turn on Friday. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's uncle Shivpal Yadav has dissolved all of his Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia's (PSPL) state-level working committees and national and state working cells. The 67-year-old PSPL founder's move to disband all of the party units comes amid rumors that he might soon join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Context
Why does this story matter?
Yadav met with Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath earlier this month. This sparked speculations of him joining the BJP amid reports of fresh strains between him and Akhilesh following the UP Assembly elections. Notably, Yadav also began following PM Narendra Modi, Adityanath, and former Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma on Twitter recently. All these developments triggered rumors about his growing friendship with the BJP.
Reaction
But Akhilesh downplayed the development
However, Akhilesh downplayed Yadav's proximity with the SP's rival BJP, saying he didn't have any information about the same. Meanwhile, the PSPL termed the disbanding of its units a "routine exercise" that most parties follow after Assembly or Lok Sabha elections. They aim to "reconstitute and reorganize the outfit for the next elections," PSPL spokesperson Deepak Mishra was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
Background
Rumors of differences abound despite mended ties
To recall, Yadav founded the PSPL following a rift with Akhilesh in 2018. However, before the 2022 UP Assembly elections, the duo reportedly settled their differences; Yadav even bagged the Jaswantnagar seat on the Samajwadi Party's ticket. But fresh strains have reportedly developed between them after the poll results were declared—especially after Yadav wasn't invited to the SP's meeting of newly-elected MLAs last month.
Strained ties
Relations likely deteriorated further after Yadav praised BJP's policies
Some reports also say that disagreements between the uncle-nephew duo grew further after Yadav had openly praised some of the decisions of the ruling BJP government in Uttar Pradesh. In fact, he recently demanded the enforcement of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), which had always been a part of the saffron party's election manifesto
Details
Earlier, another Yadav family member switched to BJP
If the PSPL founder does join the BJP, he won't be the first Yadav family member to do so. Ahead of the UP elections, Aparna Yadav—SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law and Akhilesh's sister-in-law—had also jumped to the ruling BJP. After joining the saffron party, however, she stated that she had only left the "pariwarwad" (dynastic politics) but not the "pariwar" (the family).