'Parivarvadi Party': BJP tears into Akhilesh Yadav, SP over bypoll ticket distribution

In a strategic move ahead of the upcoming by-elections for 10 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has unveiled its list of six candidates, notably featuring five family members of former MLAs. Among these nominees, four are making their electoral debut.

The candidates announced by the SP include Tej Pratap Yadav for the Karhal seat, Ajit Prasad for Milkipur, Shobhavati Verma for Katehari, Naseem Solanki for Sisamau, Jyoti Bind for Majhwan, and Mustafa Siddiqui for Phulpur. Importantly, four of these constituencies—Karhal, Milkipur, Katehari, and Sisamau—are currently held by the SP.

The decision to select family members of ex-legislators has sparked criticism from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has long accused the SP of undermining democratic principles through what they label “parivarvad” or dynasty politics. BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi remarked, “The way the Samajwadi Party has announced its candidates for the bypolls reaffirms that it is fundamentally a 'Parivarvadi Party.' Their leadership is limited to one family, the Yadavs, and in by-elections, they choose only family members of established leaders, treating other party workers as mere supporters for events.”

In response to the backlash, the SP has staunchly defended its candidate selections, arguing that these individuals are “popular leaders” with their own identities and significant local support.

Of the ten Assembly seats set for by-elections, nine became vacant after the incumbent MLAs resigned to retain their Lok Sabha seats from the recent general elections. The only exception is Sisamau, which was vacated after the disqualification of SP MLA Irfan Solanki due to a criminal conviction. The distribution of these seats includes five previously held by the SP, three by the BJP, and one each by the BJP’s allies, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and NISHAD party.

The Karhal seat in Mainpuri district was previously won by SP president Akhilesh Yadav in the 2022 Assembly elections; however, he resigned after being elected as a Lok Sabha MP. For this by-election, Akhilesh has chosen his nephew and former MP Tej Pratap Yadav as the candidate. Tej Pratap, 36, is the grandson of the late SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav’s elder brother. He first gained prominence when Mulayam selected him to uphold the family legacy in the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency, which he secured after winning both the Mainpuri and Azamgarh seats in the 2014 elections. He is also related to prominent political figure Lalu Prasad Yadav, as his son-in-law.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Tej Pratap was initially declared the nominee for Kannauj but later withdrew as Akhilesh opted to contest from the seat himself.

In Milkipur, located in Ayodhya district, Ajit Prasad has been fielded as the candidate. He is the son of the SP's Dalit leader Awadhesh Prasad, who vacated the seat after winning the Ayodhya (Faizabad) seat in the Lok Sabha elections, where he achieved a significant victory against BJP veteran Lallu Singh by over 54,000 votes.

Ajit, who is making his electoral debut, recently attracted media attention following an FIR lodged against him for kidnapping and assault. The BJP seized upon this incident to accuse the SP of “hooliganism,” while the SP claimed it was a case of “political vendetta” orchestrated by the ruling party.

This election marks Ajit’s first foray into politics. In the 2017 Assembly elections, SP sources indicated that he was selected as a candidate for the Jagdishpur seat, which has a substantial Pasi (Scheduled Caste) voter base. However, due to an alliance with the Congress, that seat was ultimately allotted to the Congress candidate.