This support comes within a week of the Yadav family drama getting intense with SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav expelling Akhilesh Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav for a period of 6 years. (ANI)

Over 200 Samajwadi Party legislators on Thursday signed an affidavit in favour of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. This comes within a week of the Yadav family drama getting intense with SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav expelling Akhilesh Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav for a period of 6 years for indulging in anti-party activities. The expulsion had taken place after CM Akhilesh Yadav had issued a parallel list of 235 candidates for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections just a day after Mulayam Singh Yadav had announced his list of 217 candidates for the 2017 elections.

Mulayam Sing had then issued a show cause notice to both Akhilesh and Ramgopal Yadav asking them to explain as to why any actions should not be taken against them. The SP President, however, then called a press conference and announced the expulsion of both the leaders. But in the middle of ongoing confrontation within Samajwadi Party and talks of division within it with just over a month left for the Uttar Pradesh elections, state Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav sought to bury reports of differences with his father and party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, saying that it was because of his father’s blessings that he and the party has achieved so much.

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In most of the cases decided by the EC so far in matters of split parties, a clear majority of party delegates/office bearers, MPs and MLAs have supported one of the factions. So an alternative way to do a test of a majority to resolve a dispute over election symbols is that EC tests majority only among elected MPs and MLAs. Thus the support of over 200 of the Samajwadi Party legislators is going to help Akhilesh Yadav keep the party name and the symbol; for the upcoming Assembly Elections if any further split happens between the father-son duo.