I am not in the race for chief ministerial post, says Shivpal

Lucknow: The claims of 'all is well' in the family and the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh notwithstanding, the senior party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav launched a fresh counter-offensive against Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav saying he was not in the race for the CM post but desired to work for the organisation.

In a repartee to what Akhilesh said earlier in the day on Friday, the sulken SP leader said '' neither did I nurse any ambition to become the Chief Minister nor desire so for the future.'' It was a direct counter-attack on Akhilesh who had said that the bone of contention in the party was the chair of the CM.

He was of the view that a man holding chief ministerial position should be modest. "Success should not go into his head ," he said.

Shivpal, who was appointed state SP President replacing Akhilesh on Tuesday, resigned from all party and government posts but did not hide his inclination to hold organisational post ahead of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. '' We are in the position to come to the power in UP again and I will strive to help the party achieve it,'' he stated at a conclave organised by a news channel thereby suggesting he would accept the post of state party Chief in the times to come.

Also Read: Akhilesh throws spanner in Mulayam’s compromise formula

He, however, did not say in so many words that the post of state party head was bone of contention rather than the chair of the CM. Akhilesh was forthcoming on the issue saying indicating he did not like the idea of replacing him as the state party head simply because he wanted to have his say on ticket distribution in the coming assembly elections.

Dwelling upon this, the senior SP leader, also uncle of Akhilesh, however, denied, though not very convincingly that there was no bad blood between the two but went on to say that the ticket distribution has always been the prerogative of the Party Supremo as well as the family head Mulayam Singh Yadav. ''Akhilesh and me just do not matter when it comes to giving tickets in the elections,'' he pointed out.

To the outrageous reaction of Akhilesh of some 'outsider' ( Amar Singh in this case) was trying to spoil the fabric of the party and family, he retorted '' even the CM has outsiders with him but it is up to the individual wisdom how you tackle them.''

According to political experts, the candid views of Shivpal may not help the cause of Mulayam to keep his flocks together. Meanwhile, the Party President Mulayam had already rejected his resignation and asked him to rescind many of his CM's decision as well taken in the course of last few days.

Also Read: Compromise formula works out, Prajapati to be back in UP cabinet