Patna, Sept 22: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav today ended up addressing a congregation of disgruntled leaders on a platform that was supposed to showcase the unity of his Samajwadi Party-led Third Front.
Akhilesh had Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav, NCP MP Tariq Anwar, former RJD leader Raghunath Jha, former JDU leader Devendra Yadav, and several others denied tickets by the RJD and JDU, for company on the dais at S K Memorial hall here. But instead of showcasing the unity of the six parties - SP, NCP, Pappu Yadav's Jan Adhikar Morcha, Samras Samaj Party (SSP), National People's Party (NPP) and Samajwadi Janata Dal (SJD) - Akhilesh's show, apparently, "exposed" that the SP lacked base in Bihar and most allies existed more on paper than on the ground.
The SP does not have a single MLA in Bihar and had forfeited deposits in all seats it contested here in the Lok Sabha polls. The SSP is a one-man outfit led by Nagmani, a political "turncoat", while P.A. Sangma's NPP hardly exists here. Ditto for Devendra Yadav's SJD. Tariq Anwar's NCP pulled out of the grand alliance after it gave it just three seats.
Akhilesh failed to convince political observers that the SP-led Third Front would actually add a third dimension to Assembly polls in the state.
Akhilesh listed his government's achievements in UP and attacked the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre on unfulfilled promises. He did not utter a word on Lalu. "The advertising agency the BJP used during Gujarat and Lok Sabha elections is now working for the JDU in the state," he said in an oblique reference to Prashant Kishore, who is overseeing Nitish's campaign. Akhilesh failed to give a convincing answer on why the SP pulled out from the grand alliance when his father, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, had played a key role in its formation.
Pappu list
Pappu Yadav's JAP announced its first list of 15 candidates for the first phase of Assembly polls on October 12. Pappu said his party would contest 64 of 243 seats.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NISHANT SINHA
