Expelled youth leaders apologise to SP chief, seek return

Some expelled youth leaders of the Samajwadi Party, believed to be close to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, today met party president Mulayam Singh Yadav triggering speculations of their possible return to party fold.
MLCs Sunil Sajan, Anand Bhadauria and Sanjay Lather, and youth leaders Gaurav Dubey, Digvijay Singh Dev and Brajesh Yadav among others met Mulayam Singh Yadav, party sources said.
They reportedly tendered apology for their actions that had led to their expulsion from the party, they said.
The youth leaders asked the party chief to allow them to work for the SP to strengthen it before the assembly polls, sources said, adding Mulayam has assured to look into their requests.

After the return of MP Ram Gopal Yadav, who was expelled from the party for six years, earlier this week, there are speculations that others will also brought back.
Taking full control of the ruling party after being

crowned as its head at a disputed national convention here on January 1, Akhilesh has been going all out consolidating his grip over the organisation.
He has already made new appointments of district chiefs and also released list of candidates for the Legislative Council polls in his capacity as the SP chief.
Akhilesh appointed heads of 11 district party units in Mainpuri, Moradabad, Fatehpur, Etawah, Farukhabad, Hardoi, Firozabad, Deoria, Kushinagar, Azamgarh and Mirzapur.

The existing presidents of these district units were sacked with immediate effect to pave the way for new faces to demonstrate the chief minister's strengthening grip over the party.
Presidents in all these districts were dumped by Shivpal, who is state president of another faction of SP backed by Mulayam, his elder brother.
Apparently to send the message that he was in the driver's seat as 'president' of SP, Akhilesh has cleared the names of three candidates for the biennial elections to UP upper House for Kanpur-Unnao (Teachers constituency), Allahabad-Jhansi (Teachers constituency) and Bareilly-Moradabad (Graduates constituency).
These constituencies will go to polls on February 3.