The Samajwadi Party, poised to challenge the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party in the coming Assembly elections, is now facing the threat of internal sabotage from its own party cadres.
Dissent over ticket distribution has begun manifesting itself and party workers are now openly voicing their resentment.
The Samajwadi Party, till now, has announced 324 Assembly tickets and murmurs of discontent are audible in about 80 Assembly seats. Though party workers are still hopeful that changes could be effected in some seats and are, therefore, now going public with their resentment but the sense of unease is very much palpable if one spends a few hours at the party’s state headquarters.
According to a Samajwadi leader, some changes had to be made where sitting legislators are concerned because the delimitation has changed the complexion of their seats. Kuldeep Sengar (Unnao) and Arvind Singh Gope (Barabanki) were shifted from their original seats because of this.
According to party sources, SP veteran Ramvir Singh is upset after Arvind Singh Gope was shifted to the Ramnagar seat in Barabanki district. Ram Vir Singh had been nursing the Ramnagar constituency since the past several years and was hopeful of getting the ticket this time.
Similarly, Vijma Yadav has been shifted to Phulpur seat from Jhusi in Allahabad and the ticket of the sitting Phulpur legislator, Jokhu Lal Yadav is undecided.
In Sarojini Nagar in Lucknow, the claim of former MLA Shyam Kishore Yadav has been ignored and the ticket has gone to Sharda Prasad Shukla.
The sitting legislator from Sultanpur, Anup Sanda, has been denied a renomination and his supporters are said to be considerably upset at the party high command’s decision. Another claimant from Isauli Assembly seat in Sultanpur was Mani Bhadra Singh who has been replaced with Shakeel. Mani Bhadra Singh, who belongs to an influential political family of Sultanpur, is said to be “seething with rage”. There is also resentment against the official party candidate in Lambhua Assembly segment (also Sultanpur) and party workers are seeking a change.
Another SP legislator who has lost her ticket this time is Sandhya Katehria from Mainpuri and this has caused considerable upheaval in the district party unit.