“Akhilesh Yadav is Chief Minister of U.P. Shivpal Yadav is still president of SP’s U.P. unit”

Had Mulayam Singh not taken the battle to the Election Commission (EC), there may have been “a possibility” of some compromise between the two factions of the Samajwadi Party, sources in the Akhilesh Yadav camp said on Sunday.

But since the battle is now in the EC which will decide which faction will get the bicycle symbol, the Yadav scion is not willing to give an inch.

The assertions came on a day when Mr. Mulayam Singh asserted in Delhi that he was still the party boss. Saying “I am the national president of Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav is (only) the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh,” Mr. Singh dismissed as ‘illegal’ the decisions taken at the “national convention” — allegedly scripted by Ramgopal Yadav — here on January 1.

‘Shivpal U.P. unit chief’

In the presence of Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, Mr. Mulayam asserted here that his brother Shivpal Yadav, who has headed the anti-Akhilesh camp, continues to be the president of the Uttar Pradesh unit of the Samajwadi Party.

Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh is expected to approach the Election Commission (EC) on Monday to submit documents and stake claim over the party’s name and election symbol, the bicycle. The Akhilesh camp has already submitted documents of its support within the party for the symbol.

The Akhilesh camp maintains that the Chief Minister has the legal control of the party and any dispute would be settled by the EC.

“Before going to the EC, there was some possibility. But Amar Singh took Netaji (to the EC) on the first day. They initiated it. And later Ramgopalji went (to the EC) after the notice. There is no issue; nobody is in a capacity to compromise or leaving anything,” an Akhilesh aide told The Hindu.

“There is no issue of dispute. The decision was taken by the national convention, a collective decision of the party general body, and not in the personal capacity by Akhileshji,” a Samajwadi Party leader said, dismissing speculations that the Chief Minister would be forced to step down as party chief.

Reacting to Mr Mulayam Singh’s assertion that he was still the party chief, the leader stressed that Mr. Akhilesh Yadav had been legally elected the national president by the “highest decision making body” of the SP on January 1.

“Netaji is the eldest in the family. In personal and family issues, whatever he says we accept and respect, and obey. But the issue of party and State president is a constitutional and legal matter. And it has been decided by the highest decision-making body by our party that Akhilesh Yadav is the national president,” the legislator, an Akhilesh confidant said.

(With inputs from Vikas Pathak)