Till yesterday, they were like peas in a pod. Together they wielded enviable clout in politics and no one could dare to drive a wedge between them.
However, as elections come closer, circumstances have pitted them opposite each other. Their respective clout has expectedly dwindled but even today, their relationship is talked about in political circles.
The biggest pair that parted ways in Uttar Pradesh is that of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Beni Prasad Varma. For decades, they were the closest of friends, sharing their political and personal issues with each other. Their tiffs, if any, did not last beyond a few hours and the Mulayam-Beni jodi was a much envied one in politics. However, the unexpected happened when Amar Singh drove a wedge between them and, today, Beni Varma vows to trounce the Samajwadi party though Mulayam Singh still does not utter a word against him.
The Mulayam-Amar pair was another political jodi that grabbed eyeballs in politics. In the Mulayam Singh government, Amar Singh was the de facto ruler and had a final word on every administrative decision. The two fell out after the Ferozabad bypoll debacle in which Mulayam’s daughter-in-law Dimple lost to Raj Babbar. Today, Amar Singh says his mission is to defeat the Samajwadi party though Mulayam, again, remains quiet on the issue.
Another famous political pair that broke up was that of Kalyan Singh and Kusum Rai. During the Kalyan Singh rule in the late 90s, Kusum Rai emerged as an enviable power centre and this kicked up a political storm in the BJP and outside it, finally leading to Kalyan’s exit from the BJP. As Mr Kalyan Singh inched towards his political downfall, Ms Kusum Rai’s fortunes rose in the BJP and the two finally parted ways when Kalyan left the BJP before the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. Today, they are on opposite sides in the polls.
Choudhury Ajit Singh and Anuradha Choudhury is another political pair that has parted ways for reasons that are both, personal and political. In Uttar Pradesh, the Rashtriya Lok Dal bowed to her wish. Ms Anuradha Choudhury has now joined the Samajwadi Party while Mr Ajit Singh dismisses her departure with a wave of his hand.
UP chief minister Mayawati has also lost two of her closet confidants between the last two Assembly elections. Former bureaucrat P.L. Punia was her most trusted confidant till the Taj Corridor case came along. The two parted ways on a bitter note and Mr Punia went on to become a Congress MP. Mr Punia is now the dalit face of the Congress — a fact that Ms Mayawati cannot digest very easily — and is vigorously campaigning against her. Similarly, Babu Singh Kushwaha, till about six months ago, was Ms Mayawati’s closet aide but he walked out two months ago and is today all set to campaign against the BSP.
Undoubtedly, another very embarrassing moment for Ms Mayawati.