UP CM Akhilesh will emerge as an established leader: BJP

Dubbing the ongoing Samajwadi Party feud as a 'family drama', the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday extended its support to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and said the latter would emerge as an established leader.

"I think this is a kind of family drama. The people are also getting to know this. The way Prime Minister Modi has taken politics to a high level so that the corrupt and hooligans do not get any place...I think even the Samajwadi Party is following this," BJP leader Satyapal Singh told ANI.

Asserting that slowly and gradually the hooliganism element in the Samajwadi Party is diminishing, Singh said at the end, Akhilesh would emerge as an established leader.

Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh has called a meeting of all 393 candidates today.

Akhilesh, too, has convened a meeting of MLAs as a showdown against his father to establish that majority of Samajwadi Party MLAs are with him.

Mulayam yesterday expelled Akhilesh and national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav from the party for six years over indiscipline.

This move comes after Akhilesh had released a list of 235 candidates out of the total 403 seats for upcoming state assembly elections on Thursday, rejecting the list announced by Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday.

Akhilesh's name did not figure in the first list. Mulayam said his son being the Chief Minister, can contest from any assembly seat he wishes to.