A major section of workers in the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) sees cabinet minister Shivpal Singh Yadav as the second most important man in the party after SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. Shivpal’s interactions with cadre workers, his regular state-wide tours for government related programmes and his recent elevation as state in-charge of the party - a position that places him above party state president and UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in the party hierarchy – are arguments used to support this claim. [related-post] Watch Video: What's making news Shivpal is the younger brother of Mulayam and he holds important portfolios in the state government like PWD, Irrigation, Cooperatives and Revenue. While the chief minister rarely holds janta darbars, Shivpal holds one in Lucknow every Friday. Shivpal often talks to officers in the districts over the phone for immediate redressal of visitors’ grievances. That has developed the public’s faith in him, said a SP leader. Shivpal has also played a key role in forging recent alliances with other political parties. According to party sources, Shivpal had supported the merger of Quami Ekta Dal (QED) with the SP. When Mulayam gave his approval, Shivpal held a press conference and announced the merger and defended the move when questioned about status of the QED MLA and mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari who is currently in jail. When a section of party workers close to Akhilesh claimed that he was unhappy with the SP-QED deal and that he had not been taken into confidence before the decision, questions were raised as to who was more influential in the party- the CM or his cabinet minister, Shivpal. On Thursday after a cabinet meeting, Akhilesh told the media that there was no difference in the party over the QED merger and that everyone would abide by the party’s decision. Shivpal claimed that the merger of the QED with the SP will help the party in eastern UP. At a press conference, QED president Afzal Ansari had showered praised on Shivpal for running the SP organsiation successfully. Shivpal had also mediated an understanding with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) to strengthen the SP in western UP where the BJP appears strong because of existing communal issues and the impact of the Muzaffarnagar riots. RLD chief Ajit Singh had several rounds of meetings with only Shivpal before a formal meeting with Mulayam in Delhi last month. While both the parties are yet to announce a formal alliance, RLD MLAs had voted in favour of SP candidates in the recent Rajya Sabha polls and UP Legislative Council when SP candidates were running short of votes. Sources also say that Shivpal played a major role in the return of senior leader Amar Singh to the party. Shivpal was also in constant touch with another senior leader and ex-union minister Beni Prasad Verma who rejoined the party a few weeks ago. When BJP national president Amit Shah sought the resignation of Shivpal over the recent Mathura incident- where two policemen were killed in crossing firing by land grabbers- the entire SP cadre came out in support of Shivpal. And when the UP government conducted an inquiry into BJP’s allegations that Hindus were migrating from Kairana due to atrocities by another community, Shivpal formed a panel of sants and sent them to Kairana to probe the allegations. Before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections too, Mulayam had picked Shivpal to manage the party's affairs. Shivpal is a cool-headed party leader unlike another power centre in the party, Ramgopal Yadav, and he suits Mulayam in controlling party infighting, said a party leader.
