Akhilesh may have won against his father, but the battle for UP still awaits
Hemmed in by his father and his uncle, and denied the kind of recognition that many believe should automatically have been his, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, in embarking on his state-wide Vikas Yatra, has taken what many believe to be his biggest political gamble so far. And in doing so, he has decided to gamble his reputation and his political future.
This yatra in many ways will determine his future. If he manages to demonstrate his hold over the masses, and in the days ahead replicate if not improve the kind of response his yatra evoked on the first day, then he will have emerged, finally and irrevocably, from the shadows of his father Mulayam and the machinations of his wily uncle Shivpal.
He can then go to establish himself as not just the political heir of his father but also the face of the SP for the future.
Failure will have its own consequences. He will forever have to live at the mercy of his family and it would mean a huge setback to his promising career. Resurrecting his career and reclaiming the party will be an uphill task.
He is ideally placed to don the leadership mantle right now. He has risen in stature and confidence as CM on the basis of the development work he has done and on account of his attempt to free his party from the malaise of casteism.
What Akhilesh is trying has not been done before in the SP. He wants to make the party break away from decades of politics based on caste. He wants to free UP from the yoke of under-development and lawlessness. And in trying to carve a niche for himself and his people, he appears to have upset some very powerful people in his party, including his father.
The CM's successful demonstration of his following today appears to have mellowed down his critics - even uncle Shivpal had no option but to declare that Akhilesh would be the CM if the SP manages to return to power in the 2017 Assembly poll.
Akhilesh may have proved a point to his party with the powerful show of support during his yatra, but the jury is still out on whether this can ensure another win for SP in the state election. He may have won the battle in his family and party, but the sterner test awaits him.