If he does not listen, I will fight against him,” Mulayam said.
“I will live for Muslims and die for them also. If it come to Muslims’ interest, I will also fight against him [Akhilesh]”, he said. But finally Akhilesh got his cycle for the elections and he is a happy man.
Mr. Mulayam added that he had made a lot of sacrifices to make the party and Mr. Akhilesh was not adhering to his words.
On the other hand the bitter tussle for control over the party, fought for months, came to a head after Akhilesh Yadav refused to accept several candidates chosen by his father and uncle Shivpal for the UP elections and released his own list of candidates.
Ahead of the election in Uttar Pradesh, where he is seeking a second consecutive term, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has been declared the rightful owner of his Samajwadi Party’s symbol, the cycle.
The 43-year-old has for weeks been facing off with his father, Mulayam Singh, for control of the party. Both sides earlier this month filed competing claims with the Election Commission to use it as their own, telegraphing that if needed, they would contest the election as rival outfits.
The decision in Akhilesh Yadav’s favour, delivered this evening, suggests that his faction of the Samajwadi Party has been recognized as the real thing, with the Election Commission agreeing that the majority of legislators are placed on his side.
Team Akhilesh has told the poll panel that the Chief Minister has the support of a majority of party leaders and workers and is now party president and so must be allotted the cycle symbol. As plan B they will ask for the motorcycle.
The Election Commission could choose today not to allot the symbol to either side and “freeze” it for now, sources have said.
Nominations for the first phase of elections in UP begin tomorrow, but the Samajwadi Party is still in disarray with candidates confused on who is contesting on which seat.
