Red and blue tsunami hits saffron beach

LUCKNOW: After being evasive so far on the gathbandhan’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said he will be happy if the next Prime Minister is from UP because this has been a tradition.

Responding to TOI’s query on whether he will support Mayawati’s candidature for PM’s post if the situation arises, Akhilesh said: “ Apko pata hai ki main kisko support karunga. Maine pehle bhi kaha hai. Uttar Pradesh ne hamesha pradhan mantri diya hai aur hamein khushi hogi ki Uttar Pradesh se phir ek pradhan mantri bane” (You know whom I will support. I have said it before that UP has always given a Prime Minister and I will be happy if another one is from UP).”


All this while BSP supremo Mayawati could be seen smiling.

SP chief ’s statement is being seen as a veiled endorsement of his new alliance partner’s candidature for the PM’s post after 2019 parliamentary polls.

Political observers feel that Akhilesh consciously decided not to take names in order to avoid any debate on the issue at this early stage of the alliance. “Maybe the BSP supremo herself doesn’t want the alliance to talk about the issue as of now, though they may have already decided what has to be done in case a situation arises,” said a political observer.

In 2014 Akhilesh had made headlines while responding to a question at a leadership summit organised by a media group in New Delhi, when he offered support to Congress if the latter was ready to make his father Mulayam Singh the Prime Minister while Rahul Gandhi agreed to become his deputy.