(With Pic)
Kanpur: Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav’s close confidante Ramphal Balmiki filed his nomination for the post of Saifai village head on Wednesday.
Like the former Saifai village head, late Darshan Singh Yadav, who had been winning the panchayat election unopposed, Balmiki too is most likely to be elected without any contest.
Insiders said the decision to field Balmiki from Saifai was taken by party president Akhilesh Yadav.
Recalling his long association with party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, Balmiki said, “I have been with SP patriarch since 1967. I accompanied ‘Netaji’ in party’s ‘Kranti Rath’ on several occasions.”
While filing nomination, Balmiki remembered late village head Darshan Singh, and said, “He was like my elder brother and strong pillar and was a guardian figure for people of Saifai. I used to address him as ‘Guruji’. His contribution to Saifai is an inspiration.”
He expressed his gratitude to Mulayam, Akhilesh, Prof Ram Gopal Yadav, Shivpal Yadav, former Badaun MP Dharmendra Yadav and former Mainpuri MP Tej Pratap Yadav for reposing their confidence in him and fielding him for the village head post of their native village Saifai.
Balmiki’s wife had been elected as district panchayat member several times.
The post of gram pradhan of Saifai has been declared as Scheduled Caste seat for the first time.
Since 1972, the post of village head was with Darshan Singh Yadav who had passed away in October last year after prolonged illness.
Darshan had served as gram pradhan of Saifai, the native village of the Yadav clan in Etawah district, for the past 48 years.