Yogi Adityanath can expect smooth UP session

Lucknow: A thoroughly fragmented and decimated Opposition in Uttar Pradesh will give a smooth passage to the Yogi Adityanath government in the first Assembly session that begins on Monday.

Opposition parties — demoralised after their major defeat in the recent Assembly elections — is battling problems within and is in no position to pose any challenge to the 50-day old Yogi government.

The Samajwadi Party which was not only voted out of power in the elections but reduced to merely 47 members in the state assembly now stands completely fragmented. Mr Akhilesh Yadav is not a member of the state assembly and the other vocal leader Ambica Chaudhary has also left the party.

Senior SP MLA Shivpal Singh Yadav is preparing to strike out on his by forming a Samajwadi Secular Morcha and with his relations with SP president Akhilesh Yadav already strained, he will not take any interest in the assembly proceedings.

Another senior SP MLA Azam Khan is also upset with the party leadership which bypassed him in appointing the Leader of Opposition. Mr Azam Khan and his newly-elected son Abdullah Azam are also facing tough times with the Yogi government preparing to investigate his dream project Jauhar University and Mr Akhilesh Yadav has not uttered a word in the senior leader’s support.

“We are not going to go overboard in opposing the government because we do not know how the party will position itself in future. SP president Akhilesh Yadav has also not shown any anti-BJP stand so we will not challenge the ruling party in a big way,” said a former SP minister.

The Bahujan Samaj Party, which has been reduced to merely 19 members, is also facing a war within the party and is clearly in no position to give sleepless nights to the BJP government.

The expulsion of senior leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui and the subsequent trading of charges between the party leaders have left the BSP MLAs demoralised.

“We are looking to saving the party from disintegration and challenging the BJP at this time is not our priority. In fact, we are trying to save our legislators form splitting the party”, said a senior party legislator.

The Congress, with just seven members, is placed in a similar position. The seven-member party is confused about its own future which includes its relationship with SP. “We are adopting a wait and watch policy on certain issues and given our present strength, we may have much say in the legislative proceedings”, said a MLA.