SP under Akhilesh is real party, "cycle" should be allotted to us: Ram Gopal Yadav

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's familial ally Ram Gopal Yadav on Friday asserted that Samajwadi Party's leadership under the former is the real party and the party emblem- the cycle, should be allotted to them.

"Party under leadership of Akhilesh Yadav is the real Samajwadi party, and should be seen so. Cycle symbol must be allotted to us," he said.

Yadav added that they have received a letter from the Election Commission in connection with the representation they had made.

"Out of 229 MLAs, 212 signed affidavit. 56 out of 68 MLCs, 15 out of 24 MPs have signed the affidavit, which we will submit to the EC today," Yadav told ANI.

Yadav further said that affidavits of around 5000 delegates will be submitted tomorrow.

The Election Commission had demanded that for either Mulayam Singh Yadav or Akhilesh Yadav to claim the party along with its iconic symbol the 'cycle', each side would have to prove the number of MLAs, MPs and MLCs supporting them through signed affidavits by January 9.

Meanwhile, Shivpal Yadav today, met with Akhilesh Yadav at his residence on 5, Kalidas Marg today in a bid to forge some kind of truce between the two sides.

The months-long feud within Samajwadi party's Yadav family hit a high note when last week Mulayam Singh Yadav expelled his son, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and cousin Ram Gopal Yadav from the party for six years.

However, the young Yadav was soon re-inducted by party workers as the Samajwadi Party president.