Mulayam Singh Redoes 'Essentials' List For Akhilesh Yadav To Add Shivpal

Lucknow: Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav embarked this morning on a peace-keeping mission to the home of his father, Mulayam Singh, over whom he has scored rights to use their Samajwadi Party's name and symbol of the cycle.

Mulayam Singh, 77, has indicated he will not form a new party to contest against his son in Uttar Pradesh, where voting begins next month. But in return, he wants Akhilesh Yadav to find room in the party's list of candidates for 38 people chosen by him.

In the morning, the list did not include Mulayam Singh's younger brother, Shivpal Yadav, who represents Jaswantnagar in the UP legislature. Instead, the constituency was sought for Shivpal Yadav's son, Aditya Yadav. But by the evening, Mulayam Singh revised his roster to add Shivpal Yadav, who is his trusted aide and has emerged over the last few months as habitual irritant to the Chief Minister largely by undermining or challenging his decisions.  

The addendum on Shivpal Yadav, 61, could threaten the fragile peace that Mulayam Singh and the Chief Minister have appeared in the vicinity of in the last 24 hours. After the Election Commission said last evening that it's Akhilesh Yadav and not his father who is in charge of the Samajwadi Party based on the extensive evidence of support among legislators, the Chief Minister rushed over to Mulayam Singh's home to "seek his blessing" and to telegraph that he remains a respectful son, a message that could serve him well among voters and help end the long-running family feud.

More than a month ago, it was Mulayam Singh's choice of candidates that short-circuited his already-fractious relationship with his son. Aided by Shivpal Yadav, he declared what he described as the official party list of contenders for the assembly election. Akhilesh Yadav, in a case of I'm-so-over-this, then announced a competing list of candidates. Some lucky party members featured on both lists, but that was about the only good news that emerged. The weeks that followed saw father and son growing so far apart that the party appeared ready to split.

On the list presented to Akhilesh Yadav today by Mulayam Singh are several Samajwadi leaders and ministers seen as old-school loyalists and earlier deemed unsuitable by the Chief Minister. The younger Yadav said he will consult close aides now about his father's recommendations.