New Delhi: Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Shivpal Yadav on Wednesday (January 18, 2023) said that his party “alone” is capable of “defeating” the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh. 

When asked about the possible alliance of opposition parties for the upcoming General elections, Yadav told reporters, “SP alone is capable of defeating the BJP in UP. All socialists should unite.”

He added that his target is to remove BJP from power (at the Centre) in 2024 and make Akhilesh Yadav the next chief minister of UP in 2027. 

Shivpal Yadav further said that he has accepted his nephew Akhilesh Yadav as his leader and SP as his party.

“Akhilesh Yadav is my nephew and SP president. I have accepted him as my leader. Like him, I am also an SP MLA. SP is my party and I have held various party posts earlier,” he said when asked why he hasn’t got any post in the party yet.

After being sidelined by the Samajwadi Party in 2016, Shivpal Yadav formed the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) in 2018 and contested against nephew Akshay Yadav from Firozabad. However, the uncle-nephew duo came together during the Mainpuri bypoll following the death of Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Shivpal Yadav also accepted the Samajwadi Party flag in Etawah and vowed to work to strengthen the party.

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— Shivpal Singh Yadav (@shivpalsinghyad) December 8, 2022

Will Aparna Yadav, Varun Gandhi join SP?

Asked about the likelihood of daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav, who is in the BJP, of joining the SP, Shivpal Yadav said, “She is with her family in good and bad times. She is our daughter-in-law.”

On chances of BJP MP Varun Gandhi joining the SP, he said, “All those who want to throw the corrupt BJP government out of power are welcome.”