From a wrestler to a hardcore politician, the journey of Mulayam Singh Yadav

The death of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav at Gurugram's Medanta Hospital on Monday (October 10) has left a deep void in Indian politics. Born in 1939 in a poor family in UP's Saifai village, Yadav initially aspired to be a wrestler, but the fighting spirit in him paved way for his successful career in politics. 

The socialist leader had perfected the art of politics so well that in the years that he was active in politics( 1967-2019), Yadav commanded influence in corridors of power. 

Here is a brief on the journey of Mulayam Singh Yadav's political career:

• First election in Jaswantnagar: Mulayam Singh Yadav contested for the first time as an MLA in 1967 from the Jaswantnagar seat in UP's Mainpuri. Fighting against Lakhan Singh, a hardcore Congress politician, Yadav had outclassed him bagging 1.03 lakh votes. This was Yadav's first taste in politics. He become a Ram Manohar Lohia follower, and socialism became his ideology.
• For the next few years, Yadav's political moves oscillated between Chaudhary Charan Singh and Janata Dal. 
• In 1989, he switched gears again and sided with the Muslim clergy in UP in the Shah Bano case and opposed the BJP's foundation stone laying ceremony in Ayodhya's Babri Masjid.
• VP Singh was the PM of the country and he had opened the pandora's box in politics by announcing 27% reservation for OBCs in government jobs and educational institutions. This was based on recommendations of the Mandal commission. 

The Mandal commission also led to the rise of backward leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav and Bihar's Lalu Prasad Yadav.

• This was a new era of politics, as the BJP had turned towards a disputed mosque structure in UP.
• BJP tilted its axis towards religion because the class battle had already been taken on by previous political parties.
• Mulayam Singh Yadav, keeping his cards close to his chest, had sided with Janata Dal and became UP Chief Minister on December 5 ,1989. 
• His next target was the stitching up of a Muslim-Yadav combination of votes that would strengthen his political base in UP.

For this, he had joined hands with Rampur leader Mohammad Azam Khan, his go-to-man, and the two went on to script important political roles in UP's political history. 

• In 1990, Indian politics took another bitter turn when UP CM Mualayam Singh Yadav ordered the shooting of Karsevaks in Ayodhya who wanted to march inside the Babri Masjid.
• Several Karsewaks had died in the shooting. Riots also took place in some parts of UP.
• Yadav was called Mullah Mulayam Singh by many for his action against the Karsevaks.
• In 1991, Mulayam lost his CM chair in UP as Congress withdrew support from the Chandrasekhar government. Mulayam fought alone in the next elections but lost.
• BJP's Kalyan Singh came to power in UP in the back of Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

SP and BSP

• Amid all of the political turmoil, Samajwadi Party was born on October 5, 1992, nearly 65 days before the demolition of Babri Mosque. 
• In 1993, ahead of UP elections, Mulayam joined hands with Dalit leader Kanshi Ram's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and formed the government.
• But Mayawati, Kanshi Ram's political heir and future supremo of BSP, was now having a say in the party and it then led to bitter relations with SP.
• By 1995, the coalition government had fallen as BJP had lended support to the BSP, making Mayawati the next CM of UP.
• The next eight years in UP's political history saw the governments of SP, BSP and the BJP (2000-2002).
• Mulayam became the full time CM of UP from 2003-2007. 
• Mayawati was the full time CM from 2007-2012. 
• By 2003, BJP was completely routed from UP politics and caste-based parties like SP and BSP had gained ground.

Tiff between Akhilesh and Shivpal:

• Mulayam heavily campaigned for the SP before 2012 UP elections, but much to the surprise of people, chose Akhilesh Yadav as the next CM of UP.
• SP had won 224 seats, well past of magic number of 202, and Mulayam had decided to hand over the charge to Akhilesh.
• This also started  a bitter rivalry between his brother Shivpal Yadav and son Akhilesh.
• In 2017, ahead of assembly elections, the party's in-fighting between the factions of Akhilesh and Shivpal came to the forefront.
• Mulayam was embarrassed and struggled to find common ground between his son and his brother.
• The party lost the elections to the BJP.
• Shivpal parted ways with SP.
• By then, Mulayam's health was on the decline and shots were called by Akhilesh.
• In 2019, Mulayam was elected MP from Mainpuri, his stronghold.
• Ahead of 2022 elections, he had also campaigned for Akhilesh in Karhal.
• The Party control was now in the hands of his son.
• Mulayam's brother Shivpal, who had come on-board in SP ahead of 2022 assembly elections, soon was disgruntled after being sidelined once again in the party.
• Mulayam was in no position to break the truce between the two. 
• But, at 82, political observers knew that he won't be an active player in UP politics. He couldn't do much to ease the tensions between the two.