LUCKNOW: The ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh today split down the middle with the faction headed by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav removing Mulayam Singh Yadav as party chief and appointing him in his place at a convention in which the group claimed support of the majority of legislators and district units.
On a day of face paced developments, the two sides engaged in mutual recriminatory expulsions with the convention called by Ram Gopal Yadav removing Akhilesh’s warring uncle Shivpal Yadav as State party chief, and showing the door to “outsider” Amar Singh, who has been blamed for the feud in the Yadav clan.
Mualyam retorted by again expelling his cousin Ram Gopal for six years along with national vice president Kiranmoy Nanda, who chaired the convention, and general secretary Naresh Agarwal for taking part in it.
43-year-old Akhilesh was “unanimously” crowned the SP president as Ram Gopal moved a proposal to make Mulayam, the founder president of SP, the party patron at the convention, where the CM’s faction claimed that over 200 of the party’s 229 MLAs, around 30 MLCs, besides majority of office bearers of district units were present.
The convention also authorised Akhilesh to constitute a national executive, parliamentary board and various State units, as required, and inform the Election Commission of the developments at the earliest.
The proposal to make Akhilesh SP chief was welcomed by a huge applause by nearly 5,000 partymen who had gathered at the sprawling Janeshwar Misra Park here. (AGENCIES)
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