Naresh Agrawal  |  Photo Credit: ANI
Lucknow: Veteran leader from Hardoi, Naresh Agrawal on Thursday claimed that Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has no experienced leader in his ranks and highlighted the treatment of Shivpal Singh Yadav by the party.
In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Agrawal said, “Akhilesh Yadav has no seasoned politician by his side. Today in SP, look at Shivpal Singh Yadav’s condition. Ram Gopal Yadav is sitting at home. Today, even if Mulayam Singh Yadav seeks a ticket, he might not get it. Politics in SP is in the hands of amateurs.”
It should be noted that Agrawal has been a six-time MLA from the Hardoi constituency, winning twice on the Samajwadi ticket. He, however, quit the party after being denied a second Rajya Sabha term in 2018.
His comments on Akhilesh Yadav and his family have a come day after Akhilesh Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav put up a rare but united show of strength in Mainpuri during a roadshow.
The rift between Akhilesh and Shivpal had officially ended last year as they decided to join hands to oust the BJP government in the state. However, since then both leaders were never seen together sharing a stage.
As polling for the two phases has ended on February 10 and 14, voting for the remaining five phases will take place on February 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.
In the 2017 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party bagged 312 seats out of the 403-seat Uttar Pradesh Assembly while Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged 47 seats, Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) won 19 and Congress could manage to win only seven seats. The rest of the seats were bagged by other candidates.