SP’s best ever performance

With his party winning 224 seats in the 403-member Assembly, and leading in two others, Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav is set to form the government in Uttar Pradesh. Mulayam is expected to be formally named the SP’s chief ministerial candidate at a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board here tomorrow. This is the SP’s best-ever performance in Assembly elections.

The BSP, led by outgoing Chief Minister Mayawati, was completely routed, its tally going down from 206 to 79. At least 10 of the 24 BSP ministers as well as Speaker Sukhdev Rajbhar lost the elections.

In third position, the BJP managed to win just 47 seats, a new low since 1991 — the last time it formed a government in the state.

The Congress-RLD alliance could not even touch 40 seats, despite extensive campaigning by party general secretary Rahul Gandhi. It won 37 seats, and was leading in one.
Among the others, 15 independents and candidates of smaller parties like the Peace Party, Apna Dal and Jan Kranti Party (Rashtriya) of former BJP chief minister Kalyan Singh were elected.

Senior SP leaders decided in the afternoon that Mulayam would be the chief minister, settling the debate raging for the last few days. A section of the party had rooted for his son, Akhilesh, who had led the party’s campaign from the front and is credited with the SP’s success.

While Mulayam did not speak to the waiting mediapersons, Akhilesh announced that “Netaji” would be the chief minister — which will be his fourth term as CM.

Among the prominent SP leaders who won were Mulayam’s younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav (Jaswantnagar), party general secretary Azam Khan (Rampur), former Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey (Itwa). However, the party’s chief whip in the assembly Ambika Choudhary lost in Phephna.

Among the prominent BSP losers were Urban Development Minister Nakul Duby (Bakshi Ka Talab), Irrigation Minister Jaiveer Singh (Karhal) and Homoeopathy Minister Nand Gopal Nandi (Allahabad South). While State BSP president Swami Prasad Maurya won in Padrauna, Mayawati, who is a member of the Legislative Council, did not contest.

In the BJP, former MP chief minister Uma Bharti won in Charkhari, but state party president Surya Pratap Shahi lost in Pathardeva and former speaker Kesri Nath Tripathi in Allahabad South.

In the Congress, state president Rita Bahuguna Joshi won in Lucknow cantonment, while CLP leader Pramod Tiwari retained Rampur Khas. However, Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid’s wife Louise Khurshid lost in Farrukhabad and party MLA Ameeta Singh lost in Amethi.