DNA - India - MLAs refuse to ride the Mulayam ‘bicycle’ - Daily News & Analysis

DNA - India - MLAs refuse to ride the Mulayam ‘bicycle’ - Daily News & Analysis

MLAs refuse to ride the Mulayam ‘bicycle’
Deepak Gidwani
Sunday, March 25, 2007 21:55 IST



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LUCKNOW: Sinking ship is a simile nowadays being frequently used for the ruling Samajwadi Party by virtue of the proclivity of the ‘rats’ deserting it. The number of MLAs and ministers spurning the electoral tickets of a ruling party is unprecedented in the political history of UP, and could prove a major embarrassment for UP CM Mulayam Singh Yadav on the eve of elections.

As many as four ministers and six MLAs have already rejected the party ticket, with most refusals coming after the names had figured in the official list of SP candidates. Food and Civil Supplies Minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya, Rural Development Minister Rajpal Tyagi and Jail Minister Rakesh Verma have rejected the party’s ‘bicycle’ symbol, preferring to contest as independents, instead.

Trying to make light of the situation, SP general secretary Shivpal Yadav told DNA: “These things are common during election time.” Yadav has no explanation for others like Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Minorities Welfare Haji Yaqub Qureshi, who will contest as a candidate of the United Democratic Front (UDF), and three sitting party MLAs - Dilip Verma from Mahsi (Bahraich), Surendra Singh Munni from Ghaziabad and Sharad Veer Singh from Jalalabad (Shajahanpur). The latter two would be contesting on the Congress symbol now.

Raja Bhaiyya admitted that he had been offered the SP ticket but was contesting as an Independent. “It’s a mutual arrangement,” he told this correspondent, adding that he would be supporting Mulayam for government-formation after the elections.

Shyam Sunder Sharma, a Loktantrik Congress (LC) MLA from Mathura figured in the SP official list but prefers to contest on the LC ticket. Two Independent MLAs — Ramnath Saroj (Pratapgarh) and Jitendra Kumar Jaiswal (Gorakhpur) — have also rejected the SP tickets.

The desertions could be read as an indidator of the party’s prospects and the SP image could take a beating at this crucial hour if the trend continues.