SP learning mode
The Samajwadi Party has drawn some lessons from the drubbing it got from the electorate in the by-elections. It will now curb the myriad power centres that have sprung up around the brothers, son and nephew of party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and general secretary Amar Singh. Instead, the party will try to develop a unified command and control structure. The wings of the coterie around the SP chief in the Yadav belt, particularly in Etawah, will be clipped. Netaji will now be more accessible to party leaders and a process for maintaining regular consultation with the rank and file is being worked out. Ram Naresh Yadav, MLC and known as mini-CM in Etawah, is blamed for the ignominy of the crushing defeat of the party in Etawah. Mahendra Singh Rajput, who was elected on SP ticket from Etawah twice and was a confidant of Mulayam, had to leave the party after he was assaulted by Ram Naresh Yadav over a land deal. Some district presidents close to leader of Opposition Shivpal Singh Yadav, who are involved in running battles with party MLAs and MPs, are also under the scanner. But reforming a party that runs like a family concern is not easy. How far the SP succeeds will be evident when the candidates for the forthcoming election to the Legislative Council from the local bodies' constituency are announced.

Going, going...
The defeat of BSP candidate Abhinav Mishra in Lucknow West has shocked the Satish Chandra Mishra camp. He was the only candidate that Mishra had recommended, said a source in the BSP. The camp is worried that this would further reduce Mishra's clout. Already, Mayawati has taken away all political work from Mishra. The State Advisory Council, which Mishra still heads, is virtually defunct. Those close to Mishra are blaming Urban Development Minister Nakul Dubey. They say that Mishra made the recommendation on the basis of feedback from Dubey, who is from Lucknow.

... contd.