Stories
Salim Sherwani: Mulayam ruined his career, is Akhilesh making him a 'scapegoat' now?
- •Veteran leader Salim Iqbal Sherwani from Badaun is in headlines again, as SP considers him for upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
- •Sherwani began his political career with Congress, winning Lok Sabha from Badaun in 1984, close to Rajiv Gandhi.
- •He won four consecutive Lok Sabha elections on an SP ticket in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2004, serving as MP five times.
- •In 2009, Mulayam Singh Yadav replaced Sherwani with Dharmendra Yadav, weakening Sherwani's political influence.
- •Akhilesh Yadav's move to field Sherwani for the third Rajya Sabha seat is seen as a big gamble with uncertain victory.
Key Questions Answered
Salim Iqbal Sherwani began his political journey with the Congress party, first winning a Lok Sabha seat from Badaun in 1984 as a close associate of Rajiv Gandhi. He later joined the Samajwadi Party and secured four consecutive Lok Sabha victories from Badaun in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2004, serving five times as an MP.
In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Mulayam Singh Yadav cut Sherwani's ticket to field Dharmendra Yadav instead, prompting Sherwani to contest on a Congress ticket where he finished third. This decision strengthened the Saifai family's hold on Badaun and gradually pushed the five-time MP out of the area's mainstream politics.
While the Samajwadi Party can comfortably win two Rajya Sabha seats, securing a third seat requires gathering additional votes from external MLAs. Fielding Sherwani for this risky contest could place the blame for any defeat directly on him or serve as a strategic move to secure Muslim voter support.
