Son tries to seize father’s party reins

Chief minister in fight for ruling party of Uttar Pradesh NEW DELHI // The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh tried to seize control of its ruling party from his father yesterday, as a family feud for political power continues to play out in public view. The attempt by Akhilesh Yadav, 43, to take over the Samajwadi Party in India’s most populous state came at the end of a turbulent 48 hours.

On Friday, he was expelled from the party but taken back into the fold the next day by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The father, 77, a former wrestler, had served three terms as the state’s chief minister.

Akhilesh, along with his uncle Ram Gopal Yadav, has been locked in a dispute with his father and another uncle, Shivpal Yadav.

The two factions are vying for control of the party before crucial state polls expected around next month.

At a special party meeting in the state capital Lucknow, Ram Gopal announced Akhilesh’s appointment as the party’s new national president. But Mulayam declared the meeting “unconstitutional” and warned everyone against attending it.

Observers in New Delhi were expecting more competing announcements from the two factions over the next few days.

Uttar Pradesh, with a population of more than 200 million, is viewed as a critical political player. It sends the biggest single bloc of politicians to the 545-seat national parliament. In 2012, Akhilesh became the youngest chief minister thanks to his soaring popularity with younger voters, who elected him because of his promises of more jobs and a greater share in India’s economic growth.