SP power feud: Akhilesh unwilling to concede ground

Reiterates his faction represents real SP

Amid the ongoing power struggle in the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) and uncertainty over the rightful claimant to SP’s official party symbol of bicycle to contest 2017 Uttar Pradesh, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wendesday asserted he represented the real Samajwadi (socialist) ideology.

This assertion has come even as multiple attempts by top SP leaders to mediate and resolve the imbroglio coming to a naught the rival camps digging in their heels for what appears to be a long drawn fight, which is likely to seriously hamper the electoral prospects of the party.

Yadav, who was talking to media persons on sidelines of the UP Pravasi Divas function here this evening, said the moot question was as to who is taking the ‘Samajwadi’ (socialist) ideology forward.

“In fact, the state government has always taken forward the agenda of Netaji (Mulayam) …he had only insisted that the expressway (Agra-Lucknow Expressway) be completed in 23 months and we delivered on that,” he added.

He further said the ball was now in the court of the people to decide as to who has ushered in faster economic development in the state.

The two rival factions led by SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav have already staked claim on bicycle symbol declaring they represented the real SP.

The leaders of both the factions have already met Election Commission (EC) officials and submitted evidences in their favour and the EC is likely to take a call according, which could even mean freezing the party symbol and allotting separate symbols to both the factions to fight polls.

On January 1, a special convention convened by the Akhilesh faction and attended by the majority of party legislators, state ministers and key leaders had passed a resolution elevating him as the SP national president displacing Mulayam, who had later declared the meeting as illegal and resolutions null and void.

This afternoon, EC had declared the schedule for UP polls, which would be conducted over 7 phases with polling to be held between February 11 and March 8, 2017.

Meanwhile, addressing today’s function, Akhilesh exuded confidence of returning to power in UP even as he waxed eloquent on his officials of delivering on the government’s development agenda and policies.