Shivpal continues to flex muscles, suspends six leaders, three MLCs for six years

After being reinstated as the Uttar Pradesh state president of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Shivpal Singh Yadav on Monday continued to flex his political muscles as he suspended six party leaders and three MLCs for a period of six years.

The three suspended MLCs are Sanjay Lathar, Anand Bhadoria and Sunil Sajan while the other suspended leaders are Mohammad Abad, Digvijay Singh Dev, Muntazim Kidwai, Pradeep Tiwari, Vikas Yadav and Brijesh Yadav.

Within hours of taking charge as the new party president of the state unit, Shivpal yesterday expelled MLC Arvind Pratap Yadav, the nephew of Samajwadi Party national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, from the party.

Ram Gopal, who is party president Mulayam Singh Yadav's cousin, had last week voiced his support for Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and raised objections to his removal as the Samajwadi Party's state chief.

Arvind, a first time MLC, was earlier the block pramukh in Karhal, Mainpuri - a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party. He was elected the MLC from Etah-Mathura-Mainpuri local body constituency earlier this year.