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In Kannauj, a son shoulders his father's prestige

Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow

All eyes are on the forthcoming by-election to the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh.

Though by-election is scheduled in eight other assembly seats, the battle for Kannauj is the most prestigious.

The credit for pushing this otherwise obscure town, known largely for its rich traditional perfumery, to limelight goes to Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. He has fielded his 27-year-old son Akhilesh here.

The seat was vacated by none other than the SP president. Yadav, who contested from two constituencies, preferred to retain the Sambhal seat.

Drawing much flak for eventually promoting "dynastic" designs -- he has been condemning the Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family for this -- Yadav is currently busy trying to convince everyone that his doing is not comparable to what Nehru did for Indira, and she for her son Rajiv.

"I am not making him prime minister," he told mediapersons in Lucknow. "Akhilesh is going to get groomed into politics the hard way. I am only pushing him into the political furnace where he has to melt or mould in his own way; it is no bed of roses."

Akhilesh, a masters in environmental engineering from Australia, had till recently remained a low-profile, apolitical son. It was only with his ostentatious marriage celebration in December that he shot into spotlight.

The opulent affair, which included three major festivities -- rituals and special 'bhoj' at Yadav's traditional home in Etawah, a grand reception in Delhi, and yet another lavish dinner in Lucknow -- had raised many eyebrows.

The Samajwadi chief, who was initially opposed to his son marrying outside the caste, had eventually given in. But he succeeded in convincing Akhilesh to plunge into politics as quid pro quo.

Many see a striking similarity between Akhilesh's reluctant entry and that of Rajiv Gandhi. But such comparisons only make Mulayam fume.

Interestingly, quite akin to the Congress under Indira Gandhi, the Samajwadi Party too provides no scope for dissent. Still, partymen do not hesitate to criticise in hushed tones, just as conscientious Congressmen had expressed their resentment against Sanjay Gandhi's projection as "heir apparent" in the 70s.

Again, much on the lines of Indira Gandhi, the Samajwadi Party strongman is pushing his own party leaders to spread the word that Akhilesh's nomination was the result of an overwhelming demand from the party rank and file. Thus have come statements from state SP chief Ram Saran Das and vice president Bhagwat Pal refuting the charge of "nepotism" against Mulayam.

"Akhilesh Yadav has been fielded by us because we received requests from each of our block level committees that our netaji Mulayam Singh Yadav must be replaced in Kannauj only by his son," they said.

The leaders flatly refute the reports that former Samajwadi Party MP from Kannauj, Pradeep Yadav wanted to contest this time around. He had moved out of the fray in 1999 to favour Mulayam Yadav.

Whether it will be a smooth sail for Akhilesh cannot be predicted. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's ally, the Loktantrik Congress Party has thrown a spanner in the works by fielding its own candidate, Pratima Chaturvedi.

Besides, the Bahujan Samaj Party is gearing up to take on both its rivals. The dalit party, thus, has brought the high profile Akbar Ahmed 'Dumpy' who lost the last Lok Sabha election from Azamgarh against Akhilesh.

The Congress plans for the seat (it was once held by the late Congress leader, Uma Shankar Dixit ) have been dashed with film star Rajesh Khanna refusing to contest. Significantly, the former superstar backed out well after the party had formally announced his nomination. Finally, the party was left with no choice but make do with Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president Satya Deo Tripathi.

What has made the contest more interesting is the presence of a Rashtriya Kranti Party nominee. The RKP is the outfit floated by none other than UP's recently-ousted chief minister, Kalyan Singh.

Meanwhile, the BJP still hasn't given up its plans to persuade the LCP to withdraw in its favour. Union Surface Transport Minister Raj Nath Singh was confident of getting the LCP to do so.

"We wish to give both the SP and the RKP a run for their money; I am sure the LCP will concede our request," the BJP leader said.

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