Mayawati's vacated bungalow is now Shivpal Yadav's, courtesy Adityanath government
The sprawling bungalow on 6, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, in Lucknow, which was former Chief Minister Mayawati's abode for long, will soon be the house of Samajwadi rebel Shivpal Yadav, multiple reports said. The Yogi Adityanath led Uttar Pradesh government is giving the type VI bungalow to him. Reportedly, the founder of Samajwadi Secular Morcha sought the bungalow's allotment last week. Here's more.
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court had ordered six former CMs of the state to vacate official bungalows, which led to a political tussle. Mayawati vacated one of her residences but claimed the second one was a memorial of Kanshi Ram, BSP founder, and her mentor. Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav allegedly left the bungalow in a despicable state but claimed it was the handiwork of BJP.
The bungalow in which Shivpal would live has 12 bedrooms, 12 dressing rooms, 4 huge verandahs, 2 halls, kitchens, four security watchtowers and staff quarters. He said he has been living in a small flat, and as a five-time MLA deserves better. "I am a five-time MLA, a two-time minister, I am entitled to bigger government accommodation and I will need this," he said.
Sources close to Shivpal said he might run his new party from the bungalow. Notably, he has not formally quit SP, the party headed by nephew Akhilesh, which has his elder brother Mulayam Singh Yadav as the patriarch. But, he has promised to field 80 candidates from his party in the upcoming general elections in 2019. Recently, he has been extremely critical of Akhilesh.
Apart from the bungalow, Shivpal is likely to get Z plus security, as the Yogi Adityanath government has approved his request, reports said. A recent IB report cited threats to Shivpal, and he had mentioned the same in his request for the bungalow.
Shivpal getting the bungalow and Z plus security might mean he is drifting towards the BJP. Known for his organizational skills, Shivpal can dent the vote share of SP-BSP alliance, something which would favor BJP. It should be remembered, the saffron party lost by-polls in UP. However, Shivpal has said he has always fought against the BJP and will continue to do so.
