Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia (PSPL) president Shivpal Yadav may become the Deputy Speaker of Uttar Pradesh Assembly, news agency PTI reported. For last few days, political circles in the state are abuzz with speculations over increasing bonhomie between Samajwadi Party chief’s uncle Shivpal Yadav and the ruling party BJP. Shivpal Yadav, who used to be an influential SP leader, parted ways with the party in 2019 by forming his own PSPL party, following a rift between him and his nephew Akhilesh Yadav. However, in the 2022 Assembly polls, the two came together with an aim to dethrone Yogi Adityanath government. But the tensions between Akhilesh and Shivpal grew after BJP stormed back to power for second consecutive term.
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1. Talking to PTI, PSPL spokesperson Deepak Mishra ruled out the possibility of Shivpal joining hands with the ruling BJP and said: “Such speculation is doing the rounds. The sky has no limits, nor does politics. The door of possibilities is never closed in politics”. He also added that if Shivpal Yadav becomes Deputy Speaker, it will increase the dignity of the assembly. However, there has been no official confirmation about Yadav’s candidature for the Deputy Speaker’s post.
2. However, when asked to comment over the possibility of BJP offering Deputy Speaker's post to Shivpal Yadav, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Jaswant Singh Saini said that he has no information in this regard.
3. Earlier, media reports suggested that the BJP will send Shivpal to the Rajya Sabha whereas his son Aditya Yadav would contest from Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat that Akhilesh has vacated. In October 2021, SP rebel Nitin Agarwal was elected as Deputy Speaker of the state Legislative Assembly with the help of BJP.
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4. The tension between Akhilesh and Shivpal Yadav grew when Shivpal was not invited to a meeting of newly elected SP MLAs on March 26. Later Shivpal skipped a meeting of the leaders of the SP alliance headed by Akhilesh Yadav. After that, Shivpal met UP CM Yogi Adityanath and now he has also begun following Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and former deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma on Twitter.
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5. Before Assembly polls, another member of Yadav family-Aparna Yadav, sister in law of Akhilesh Yadav had also joined the BJP.
