Akhilesh meets Mulayam

Speculations are rife over a possible patch-up between the two leaders, but there was no official word from either faction on the meeting.

January 03, 2017 01:39 pm | Updated December 03, 2021 12:46 pm IST - New Delhi

A file photo of Mulayam Singh Yadav.

A file photo of Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Amid an intense power tussle, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, on Tuesday, met his father and Sawajwadi Party Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav at his residence, leading to speculation that efforts were being made for a patch-up which the faction led by the Chief Minister discounted.

Though there was no official word from either faction on the meeting, there were speculation about a patch-up effort.

Akhilesh reached Mulayam’s residence in Lucknow after the latter returned from New Delhi where he had knocked on the door of the Election Commission to claim the 'cycle' symbol.

The father and son were together for over two hours.

Shivpal Yadav, Mulayam’s brother who is at loggerheads with Akhilesh, also joined them after returning from Delhi.

At the airport, when asked about the meeting, Shivpal said, “I don't have any information about the meeting. If 'netaji' [Mulayam] calls me I will go."

After the meeting, a senior party leader close to Akhilesh said: "It's too late. There is no scope for any settlement. EC will decide who will have SP’s cycle."

Ramgopal meets ECI

The feud within SP took a new turn on Tuesday with party's general secretary Ramgopal Yadav, who was expelled by his brother and party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, met the Election Commissioner of India in New Delhi and staked claim for the party's "cycle" symbol.

Mr. Ramgopal also claimed that his faction "is the real SP" and about 90 per cent of the members are with them.

The ruling SP in Uttar Pradesh is virtually split into two with Mulayam and brother Shivpal Yadav on one side and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Ramgopal on the other.

Mr. Mulayam on Monday visited the ECI along with his supporters and staked claim of the party symbol. He had also expelled Ramgopal Yadav after the latter declared Akhilesh as “national president".

On their side, the Akhilesh camp "expelled" Amar Singh and made Mulayam the "mentor".

Meanwhile, senior SP leader Azam Khan has said that there is a possibility of a patch-up between the two factions.

“Anything is possible. Who would have thought that their expulsion would be revoked,” he told reporters.

A bitter critic of Mulayam’s close aide Amar Singh, Mr. Khan has maintained a neutral profile in public in the ongoing feud. Not all doors on their unity are closed, he added.

(With inputs from PTI)

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.