Former Samajwadi Party state president Shivpal Singh Yadav, who was involved in a bitter power game with the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, has found no mention in the list of party's 40 ‘star campaigners’ for the Assembly polls.
The ruling party today gave a list of its star campaigners to the Election Commission, but it had no mention of Shivpal, who chose brother Mulayam over nephew Akhilesh in a bitter family war.
The former PWD Minister, who enjoyed the number two status in the state government, has since fallen from grace of Akhilesh Yadav, who wrested control of the party from his father.
He has been already axed as the state unit chief and replaced by Akhilesh loyalist Naresh Uttam and been relegated to a virtual nobody in the party.
Shivpal was not present at the press conference where Akhilesh released the party's manifesto on January 22. Even SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav was conspicuous by his absence though he turned up at the SP headquarters long after the event was over, blaming his delay on traffic chaos.
The list, which was sent to the poll panel in Delhi by SP National General Secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, contains names of party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh and 38 other leaders, keeping Shivpal out.
All other members of the extedned Yadav family who are in active politics have been named in the list.
This includes party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav, Kannauj MP and wife of the Chief Minister Dimple Yadav, Budayun MP Dharmendra Yadav, Mainpuri MP Tej Pratap Singh and Lok Sabha member from Firozabad Akshay Yadav.
The other leaders who would champion the party's cause include Kironmay Nanda, Azam Khan, Naresh Agarwal, Jaya Bachchan and Rajendra Chowdhury, besides state presidents of SP Yuvjan Sabha, Mulayam Singh Yadav Youth Brigade and Samajwadi Party leader from Maharashtra Abu Asim Azmi.
Samajwadi Party has fielded Shivpal from Jaswantnagar seat in Etawah district, the home turf of the Yadav clan.
UP will go for polls in seven phases beginning February 11.
