SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has decided to keep the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat, due to which he has resigned from the post of MLA. Due to leaving the MLA post, the post of Leader of Opposition has also become vacant. Samajwadi Party will have to find a strong leader for the Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, who can replace Akhilesh Yadav. There will be a need for someone who has the power to take forward the political agenda of the SP of the state and surround the Yogi government in the assembly house, in such a situation, now the question arises that who will Akhilesh Yadav make the Leader of Opposition?
Akhilesh Yadav was elected MLA from Karhal assembly seat of Mainpuri for the first time in 2022. At that time he was a Lok Sabha member from Azamgarh, but he resigned from the post of MP and kept the MLA post with him. Akhilesh Yadav was seen surrounding the Yogi government from the road to the house while being the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, but now after winning the election from Kannauj Lok Sabha seat, he has decided to do politics in Delhi again. In such a situation, he has resigned from the post of MLA, due to which the post of Leader of Opposition along with Karhal assembly seat has also become vacant.
Samajwadi Party needs a leader who can replace Akhilesh Yadav in the assembly. In such a situation, the question in everyone’s mind is who will be the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, this list includes the names of many leaders. However, the current SP MLAs currently lack aggressive speakers, who can react immediately when needed and can corner the government on various issues.
These leaders left the MP post
SP’s strong leader Azam Khan has been expelled from the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly and is currently in jail. Apart from this, Ram Govind Chaudhary, who was the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly between 2017 and 2022, could not become an MLA in 2022. Azam Khan has also been the Leader of Opposition. Due to this, both the SP leaders are completely out of the race. Manoj Pandey, who was the chief whip of SP, has resigned and is now standing in the BJP camp. SP’s veteran leader Awadhesh Prasad has resigned from the post of MLA after being elected Lok Sabha MP from Ayodhya, while Lalji Verma is now going to resign from the assembly membership after being elected MP from Ambedkar Nagar.
The first names that come up in the options for the leader of opposition in the assembly are Indrajit Saroj, Shivpal Yadav, Durga Yadav, Ram Achal Rajbhar, Mata Prasad Pandey and Ravidas Mehrotra. However, Akhilesh Yadav does not only want to balance the equation of the house by making him the leader of opposition in the assembly, but will also try to implement his PDA formula. A leader has to be found who knows the art of speaking and also fits in the caste equation of SP.
Why will uncle Shivpal Yadav not become the leader of opposition?
Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle Shivpal Yadav has been an MLA for six times. He has been the leader of opposition between 2009 and 2012, but he is not considered a good speaker. Apart from this, there is another problem that if Shivpal Yadav is made the leader of opposition, then SP will also be accused of Yadavism. From the president of SP to the leader of Lok Sabha and the leader of opposition in the assembly, having people from the Yadav community will give the opposition an opportunity to corner them. That is why it is believed that SP chief Akhilesh can hand over the post of Leader of Opposition to a non-Yadav leader and give the post of Chief Whip to his uncle Shivpal.
Akhilesh Yadav can play the bet of making Ambedkar Nagar MLA Ram Achal Rajbhar and Kaushambi MLA Indrajit Saroj the Leader of Opposition. Ram Achal comes from non-Yadav OBC. Rajbhar is a big leader of the community, while Indrajit Saroj comes from the Pasi caste of the Dalit community. The way the Pasi community has voted for the SP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and five Pasis have been elected from his party, Indrajit’s chances of becoming the Leader of Opposition are very high, because while Akhilesh Yadav is the Leader of Opposition, Indrajit Saroj is on the post of Deputy Leader in the House. He also fits in the political equation of SP. Ram Achal Rajbhar may come from non-Yadav OBC, but his political base is not in the whole of UP, but the Pasi community is in the whole of UP.
Ram Murti Verma’s name is ahead in the race
SP’s veteran MLA Ram Murti Verma is also in the race for the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, because he comes from the Kurmi community. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Kurmi community has gone to the SP’s camp. Due to this, many Kurmi MPs have been elected on SP ticket. Akhilesh Yadav has been able to defeat the BJP on the strength of Kurmi votes in Purvanchal. If a decision is taken to make someone from the Kurmi community the Leader of Opposition, then Ram Murti Verma’s name can be approved. He is an MLA from Azamgarh district and fits in the formula of non-Yadav OBC.
Mata Prasad Pandey is a strong leader of SP and comes from the Brahmin community. Mata Prasad was the Speaker of the Assembly during Akhilesh’s CM tenure between 2012 and 2017. He is seen as a good speaker, but he is quite old and is not able to regularly participate in the proceedings of the House due to ill health. Due to this, it is difficult for him to become the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly. Lucknow Central MLA Ravidas Mehrotra, who gave a tough fight to Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, is seen as an effective speaker but does not fit into the political equation of the SP.