Prez polls: Chinks appear in united Oppn façade, Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle Shivpal endorses BJP pick
India Today
As the day of the presidential election draws closer, more and more chinks have appeared in the façade of a ‘united Opposition’. Top leaders are breaking ranks and coming out in support of the NDA candidate.
The upcoming presidential poll will not only give the country its next President but is also being seen as a litmus test for Opposition unity. As leaders from opposition parties came together in support of presidential poll candidate Yashwant Sinha last month, it was seen as a great show of strength.
But as the day of the election draws closer, more and more chinks seem to have appeared in the façade of a ‘united Opposition’. Top leaders are breaking ranks and coming out in support of the NDA presidential candidate, Droupadi Murmu.
The shifting loyalties during this high-stakes presidential race have underscored the fault lines between poll-time allies and opposition leaders who profess to be bosom buddies.
Take for instance the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party, which was floated by Shivpal Singh Yadav after the split in the Samajwadi Parivaar. Though Shivpal tied up with nephew Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party in the UP assembly polls this year, Shivpal has now backed Droupadi Murmu’s candidature.
“I had already said that I'm going to vote for the one who asks for it. Neither Samajwadi Party called me, nor asked for my vote. CM Yogi Adityanath invited me yesterday to meet NDA's Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu and I decided to vote for her,” Shivpal Singh said on Saturday.
READ | Why Shivpal Yadav and Akhilesh are at daggers drawn again
He was talking about an invitation by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath -- it was to a banquet hosted on Friday night in honour of Murmu, who was in Lucknow to campaign ahead of the presidential polls on July 18. Along with Shivpal Singh, several key Opposition leaders attended the dinner party. In a major setback to Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha’s hopes of clinching the presidency, most of them have now espoused their support for the NDA nominee.
