Mulayam postpones Jan 5 national convention of SP

In a series of tweets, SP leader Shivpal Yadav said that on the orders of Mulayam Singh Yadav, the convention called on January 5 has been postponed for now.

While Shivpal gave no reasons for the abrupt cancellation of the meeting, insiders said perhaps the Mulayam camp was apprehensive of a poor turnout compared to the massive gathering at the "convention" held by Ram Gopal Yadav yesterday.

The convention was declared illegal and unconstitutional by Mulayam.

Shivpal in another tweet asked party workers to concentrate on their respective constituencies and work hard to win the elections.

Meanwhile, senior SP leaders from both sides (Akhilesh and Mulayam camps) are likely to visit the Election Commission in New Delhi today to put forth their case.

Party sources said Mulayam may not visit Delhi as he is indisposed.

The Samajwadi Party yesterday split down the middle with the faction headed by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav removing Mulayam 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.

The two sides had 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.

Mulayam had 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.

"Both sides will give affidavits and evidence in support of their claims along with signatures of their supporters to prove they enjoy majority support," Quraishi told India Today TV channel. 

"These will be verified and this may take four to five months," he added. "I don't see this happening before the elections as both sides have strong base and the claims will be contested strongly.

"The (election) symbol will be frozen and ad-hoc names and ad-hoc symbols may be given to both sides. A final decision will come after due process in due course of time," he added.