After Lalu-Nitish alliance, Amar-Mulayam reunion on the cards?

After Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar ended their 20 yearlong animosities ahead of bypolls in Bihar, now it's Uttar Pradesh's politics witnessing once friends-turned-foes inching closer. The latest entrants in this beginning of a new era of political friendship are Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and his once close confidant and Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Amar Singh.

Rumours of Amar-Mulayam bonhomie gained momentum as the duo shared dais on Tuesday after four yearlong rivalries at the inauguration function of Janeshwar Mishra Park in Lucknow. Amar Singh, who was expelled from SP in 2010, was seen seated next to UP Chief Minister and Mulayam's son, Akhilesh Yadav, along with other SP leaders. However, party's big leader Azam Khan was not present at the ceremony.

Why did Amar Singh split from the Samajwadi party?

Singh, a former national general secretary of SP, had contested Lok Sabha polls on Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) ticket from Fatehpur Sikri seat of UP but lost. His Rajya Sabha tenure is also going to end later this year.

The party had expelled him and actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada on February 02, 2010 for indiscipline and indulging into anti-party activities that the party claimed dented its socialist image.

Amar-Mulayam reunion on the cards?

Singh was quoted by a news agency as saying that Mulayam Singh Yadav personally called him to attend the ceremony. This gesture from Mulayam is enough to fan speculations in the political arena that Mulayam-Amar reunion is in the offing.

Considering ruling Samajwadi Party's debacle in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, in which party managed to bag just 5 out of 80

Parliamentary seats, and the constant criticism over the Government's failure to curb the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. One feels that Mulayam once again wants to redeem lost glory by inducting Amar Singh back to the party.

The party is also facing the double whammy of losing its credibility and surge of its political rival BJP in the state. Political experts feel that Mulayam through Amar Singh's political prowess would be hoping to gain party's lost ground and weaken the BJP's increasing hold in the UP's politics. It is just another move by SP chief is nothing but an attempt to reduce the increasing popularity of BJP chief Amit Shah.

Will this bonhomie help the ailing SP?

Although, Amar Singh has ruled out any possibility of joining the party again but, one wonders what Mulayam had told him over phone that made the MP arrive at the event. Hence, there is undoubltely something cooking between the two.

But one doubts whether Amar Singh himself enjoys any credibility among voters in the state?

Amar Singh, who was Mulayam's one of the most trusted men, contested Lok Sabha polls on RLD ticket from UP's Fatehpur Sikri seat but lost. Hence, Singh is also of no use to the Samajwadi Party unless and until the party changes its style of functioning.

What is Mulayam's real problem?

Samajwadi party had expelled Amar Singh in 2010 for indiscipline

The biggest challenge which Samajwadi Party is facing is improving its image in the eyes of the voters in the state. Akhilesh Yadav government's failure in putting an end to the rising number of cases of crimes against women, mis-governance and communal violence tarnished the party's image. The party had to pay the price for the same in the LS polls when the Modi-wave decimated every regional party, including SP, in the state.

As per a latest Indian Express report, police has identified 605 low-key clashes took place in the state which they identified as "communal" in nature. The report shows that nearly 200 of these occurred in or around the 12 constituencies, where by-polls are scheduled to take place in the state.

The Ministry of Home Affairs released data on communal violence in February this year and revealed that a steep 30 per cent rise in the number of communal violence incidents took place as compared to 2012. The data also revealed that the worst-hit state was Uttar Pradesh as it recorded 247 incidents in 2013 as compared to 118 in 2012.

According to an Outlook data, a total of 23,569 incidents of crimes against women took place, during Akhilesh's rule. A total of 1,951 rape cases are reported with around 10 rapes happening every day. Total 5,676 riots incident took place and that seriously raises questions about his administrative skills.

These figures show that the incumbent UP government has completely failed to put a restraint over rising crime graph. And the administration's lack of will to take prompt action at the right time has from time to time revealed Samajwadi Party's vote-bank appeasement politics.