Samajwadi Party divide puts its symbol cycle in the backburner as Mulayam-Akhilesh feud steal show

The symbol did not matter much in the Mulayam-Akhilesh face-off in practical terms to begin with. With the party so badly divided and his own mass appeal on the decline, Mulayam would not have worked any electoral magic even if he had the symbol. For Akhilesh, who have decided to chart his own political course away from the shadow of the family, it would have been a small advantage. But then, his attitude so far suggests, he is beyond caring.

The ultimate loser in the in-house power struggle is the Samajwadi Party. Because neither Mulayam nor Akhilesh will be able to ensure it a repeat mandate, with or without the symbol. The pro-development, youth-friendly modern face of the chief minister combined with the social engineering skills of his father could have helped the party beat anti-incumbency but that is not the case anymore. Even a last minute forget-and-forgive deal, which still remains a possibility, cannot undo the damage done so far. Given the intensity of the power struggle any such deal can only be a truce with a short life – the potential voters of the party won’t be unaware of it.