Uttar Pradesh Election: Akhilesh Yadav Buries The Hatchet, Announces Alliance With Uncle Shivpal

Shivpal Yadav broke away from the SP in 2018 and formed his own political outfit following a bitter fallout with Akhilesh Yadav.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav with his uncle Shivpal Yadav (Twitter/AkhileshYadav)

New Delhi: Burying the hatchet, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav forged an alliance with his uncle Shivpal Yadav's Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party on Thursday ahead of the crucial Uttar Pradesh election.

Announcing the alliance on Twitter, Akhilesh Yadav said, "There was a meeting with the National President of Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party and the matter of forming an alliance was decided. The policy of taking regional parties along will strengthen the SP and lead the party and other allies to a historic victory."

प्रसपा के राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष जी से मुलाक़ात हुई और गठबंधन की बात तय हुई।

क्षेत्रीय दलों को साथ लेने की नीति सपा को निरंतर मजबूत कर रही है और सपा और अन्य सहयोगियों को ऐतिहासिक जीत की ओर ले जा रही है। #बाइस_में_बाइसिकल pic.twitter.com/x3k5wWX09A

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) December 16, 2021

Hundreds of supporters of both the parties gathered outside Shivpal's residence, raising "Chacha-Bhatija zindabad" slogan.

Shivpal Yadav broke away from the SP in 2018 and formed his own political outfit following a bitter fallout with his nephew and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Shivpal was allegedly upset over his diminishing stature in the party. The relationship further soured after Akhilesh Yadav took over the reins of SP in 2017.

Last month, on the birthday of party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh had hinted that he would join hands with his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav. ''To defeat the BJP in the upcoming assembly elections in the state, we will have an alliance with the regional parties of the state and will work to bring small political parties together," Akhilesh Yadav had said.

The Samajwadi Party has already tied up with Om Prakash Rajbhar's Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party and Jayant Chaudhary's Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) for the upcoming polls.

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said the meeting between Akhilesh and Shivpal Yadav would not impact BJP's prospects in the polls.

"BJP is going to form majority government again in 2022 by winning over 300 seats. Whether there was a meeting of 'Chacha' Bhatija' or 'Bua' Bhatija' or SP or Congress or all of them, only lotus (BJP's election symbol) will bloom," PTI quoted Keshav Prasad Maurya as saying.