Indian party chief reinstates sacked son Akhilesh Yadav Published duration 31 December 2016

image copyright Getty Images image caption Supporters of Akhilesh Yadav protested against his expulsion

The chief minister of India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, has been readmitted to his political party - a day after his father expelled him.

Akhilesh Yadav, 44, was sacked from the Samajwadi Party (SP), after a row over candidate lists for state elections.

His father, party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, made the U-turn after the two met on Friday.

"All misunderstandings are now over", Indian media quoted Akhilesh Yadav's uncle as saying.

Mulayam, a former chief minister of the state, announced he was expelling Akhilesh on Thursday, a day after his son released a list of 235 candidates for the upcoming polls, despite the party announcing its own choices earlier.

The list reportedly included Akhilesh's supporters, and excluded some of his father's loyalists.

Angry scenes

Elections are expected to be announced in Uttar Pradesh in the coming days.

On Saturday, Mulayam also revoked the expulsion of his cousin, senior party leader Ramgopal Yadav.

Ramgopal earned the wrath of the party chief after announcing an emergency meeting of the SP on 1 January, which Mulayam said only he was entitled to do.

image copyright Reuters image caption Akhilesh Yadav, a fan of Western rock music, was sacked by his father, who is a former wrestler

"Now we will all fight UP polls united and will form the government with majority," said Shivpal Yadav, Akhilesh's uncle and Mulayam's brother.

Earlier there were angry scenes outside the chief minister's residence as supporters vented their fury, the Times of India reported.

It said that 200 of the 229 party MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly) attended a meeting there expressing their support for Akhilesh.

There are reported to be 20-plus members of the Yadav family active in Indian politics. The bitter feud between them has been simmering for some years, prompting infighting and factionalism in the SP.

Some political analysts say Akhilesh is more popular than his father, as he can reach beyond the caste boundaries that are prevalent in north Indian politics.