AKHILESH WINS ‘CYCLE’ WAR
SETBACK TO MULAYAM:
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Monday recognised the faction led by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav as the Samajwadi Party and allotted it the ‘cycle’ symbol, dealing a huge blow to Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The decision, less than a month before the staggered Uttar Pradesh assembly election starts on February 11, was first announced by Akhilesh confidant Ram Gopal Yadav.
A beaming Ram Gopal Yadav, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, urged the people of Uttar Pradesh to vote Akhilesh Yadav back to power in the coming election.
“This is a just decision,” he told the media. “The Election Commission will get the blessings of crores of people of Uttar Pradesh.”
The decision triggered wild celebrations among Akhilesh supporters in Lucknow, where the Chief Minister immediately headed to the house of his father and party founder Mulayam Singh.
The Samajwadi Party formally split on January 1 when the Akhilesh faction ousted Mulayam Singh as its president.
Both factions then petitioned the Election Commission to allot it the ‘cycle’ symbol.
After some two weeks of bitter fighting, the poll panel — which heard both versions for hours on Friday — on Monday Akhilesh Yadav.
Mulayam Singh, who has lost the support of the majority in the party, had been desperate to hold on to the symbol which he picked long ago.
An Election Commission official said: “The group led by Akhilesh Yadav is the Samajwadi Party and is entitled to use the ‘cycle’ symbol.”
SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav said he was prepared to contest against his son and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav if attempts to keep the party united fail.
“Akhilesh is being misled by Ram Gopal (Yadav). He is not even ready voted in favour of to listen to me. I invited him today (Monday) to discuss matters but he didn’t come. If he doesn’t listen to me, I will contest against him,” Mulayam Singh said.
His remarks came as later in the day the Election Commission allotted the party symbol of ‘cycle’ to the Akhilesh Yadav faction.
Mulayam Singh made the remarks during a visit in the morning to the party office where he interacted with party members, including state SP chief Naresh Uttam, who was appointed state party chief by the faction led by Akhilesh Yadav.
Mulayam Singh is learnt to have told party members that he tried to speak to Akhilesh for rapprochement thrice but the son did not respond properly. During the meeting, the 77-year-old former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh said the Muslim community was “angry” as the Akhilesh government “had not worked for them” in the last five years.
“There is no Muslim name in the list issued by Akhilesh Yadav. Is this the way he wants to chalk out his political future,” the patriarch said.
“Muslims make our government but Akhilesh Yadav is not even a little worried about them,” he said.