With Akhilesh back, united SP to contest elections

Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav revoked the expulsion of Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Ramgopal on Saturday after a massive show of strength by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

Only hours earlier, on Friday, both were ousted from the party for six years on charges of indiscipline and anti-party activities. The decision to revoke the expulsions was taken soon after meetings to broker peace between SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh were held at the senior Yadav’s 5 Vikramaditya Marg residence here. After a closed-door meeting between Mulayam, Akhilesh, minister Azam Khan and state unit chief Shivpal Singh Yadav, orders were issued to withdraw the expulsions with immediate effect. 

The Samajwadi Party soon removed the expulsion letters of both Akhilesh and Ramgopal from its website. “As per the directions of Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav), the expulsion of Akhilesh Yadav and Ramgopal Yadav has been revoked with immediate effect,” SP leader Shivpal Singh Yadav tweeted. Shivpal Singh Yadav, who is Akhilesh’s uncle, said the SP will fight the 2017 Assembly elections unitedly to defeat the communal forces. He also said a new list of party candidates would be discussed and released later on. Shivpal, who was backing his brother Mulayam Singh in the party infighting, said all was now well within the party.

Earlier, a meeting of party MLAs was called by the Chief Minister where almost 200 legislators turned up, signalling that Akhilesh enjoyed the support of a majority of party legislators. Following a poor turnout at its own meeting, the Mulayam camp cancelled it and Urban Development Minister Azam, who is one of the founding members of the party, began brokering peace between the warring father-son duo.

Meanwhile, sources in the party said SP members attending the emergency national convention called by Ramgopal Yadav on Sunday were likely to elect Akhilesh the national party president — a post now held by Mulayam — and insist that his faction represents the “real Samajwadi Party”.