The senior SP leader recently said he would soon launch a campaign to unite “samajwadis” to bring them on a single platform

Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Shivpal Yadav on Wednesday threatened to form a new secular front if former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav did not hand over the reins of the party to Mulayam Singh Yadav.

“Akhilesh had promised to hand over the party to ‘netaji’ [Mulayam]. He should now do so and we all will strengthen the SP. I had also given him three months’ time. Otherwise, I will constitute a new secular front,” Mr. Shivpal said in Etawah.

Mr. Shivpal recently said he would soon launch a campaign to unite “samajwadis” (socialists) to bring them on a single platform.

The SP witnessed a bitter feud between Mr. Shivpal and Mr. Akhilesh in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

The SP contested the polls under Mr. Akhilesh’s leadership but suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the BJP.

After filing his nomination for the polls in January, Mr. Shivpal had said he would form a new party after the election results are declared. But, subsequently he said there was no such move.