Published 22:43 IST, December 17th 2020
2022 UP polls: Shivpal Yadav meets Owaisi ally SBSP after talks with nephew Akhilesh stall
Pragathisheel Samajwadi Party (PSP) chief Shivpal Singh met with Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party  (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar in Lucknow on Thursday
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In yet another twist to Uttar Pradesh politics, Pragathisheel Samajwadi Party (PSP) chief Shivpal Singh met with Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar in Lucknow on Thursday. The hour-long meeting was regarding Yadav partnering in the third-party coalition against the BJP. Rajbhar has already allied with AIMIM, while Shivpal Yadav was eyeing to ally with estranged nephew Akhilesh Yadav. The state's next elections will be held in the month of February-March 2022.
Owaisi allies with Rajbhar
On Wednesday, AIMIM chief Asadudding Owaisi met Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party's Om Prakash Rajbhar in Lucknow to stitch an alliance for the 2022 UP polls. "The two of us (Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party's Om Prakash Rajbhar and he) are sitting before you. We stand together and we'll work under his leadership," Owaisi said. Apart from AIMIM, AAP and JDU have announced that they will be contesting for the UP polls. The incumbent BJP now faces Congress, Samajwadi Party, BSP, AAP, JDU, AIMIM-SBSP-, Chandrashekhar Azad's Azad Samaj Party in 2022 polls.
Shivpal announces coalition with SP, then calls off
In November, Shivpal Yadav announced that his party - Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party will be allying with the Samajwadi Party. His nephew and SP chief, Akhilesh Yadav ruled out alliances with any 'larger parties' for the Uttar Pradesh state elections in 2022. Yadav who has previously tied-up with Congress and Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP), has stated that he was open to adjusting estranged uncle Shivpal Yadav's Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party with SP, offering him a cabinet seat. But after receiving no 'positive reaction' from Akhilesh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav said that the PSP will not merge with any other party, but urged all 'socialist parties to ally'.
2017 Akhilesh-Shivpal split
In 2016, Akhilesh Yadav had faced a massive family feud - with his uncle Shivpal Yadav over who will take over the party's reins from patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav. The then-SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had sided with his brother- Shivpal, throwing out then-CM Akhilesh Yadav and his cousin Ram Gopal Yadav from the party for six years for releasing a separate list of 235 candidates for the 2017 polls, countering his father's 325 candidate-list. Later, Akhilesh was reinstated, who promptly threw out his uncle and replaced Mulayam Singh Yadav as the party chief. Shivpal quit the SP and formed his own party -Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party which was recognized officially in October 2018. Several meetings initiated by Mulayam Singh Yadav to patch up the family feud have not yielded good results.
22:43 IST, December 17th 2020