Mulayam Singh Yadav rushes to EC to claim his cycle

Mulayam Singh Yadav asserted the symbol was his when he went to Delhi to meet the Election Commission

MulayamâÂu00c2u0080Âu00c2u0088SinghâÂu00c2u0080Âu00c2u0088Yadav after meeting EC officials. Pic/PTI

New Delhi: The faction war in the ruling Samajwadi Party of Uttar Pradesh yesterday reached the Election Commission with Mulayam Singh Yadav staking claim over the 'cycle' symbol, a day after he was deposed from the post of president by the group headed by his son Akhilesh Yadav.

Mulayam cancelled the January 5 party convention called by him, apparently fearing that there could be a low turnout compared to the convention held by his son in Lucknow.

The faction headed by Akhilesh, the Chief Minister, will also approach EC today to assert their right over the symbol, which is crucial for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Mulayam reached Nirvachan Sadan here along with his brother Shivpal Singh, his close confidante Amar Singh and former MP Jaya Prada to put forth his stand on the feud which has virtually split the party he founded 25 years ago.

“I am still the president of Samajwadi Party and the decision of the rival camp to appoint Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav as the party chief is against the constitution,” Mulayam told the EC.

Claiming to have the backing of the SP Parliamentary Board, he said the party symbol ‘cycle’ belongs to him as he is the party president, sources said. Mulayam told the Commission that Ram Gopal Yadav, who had moved a resolution at the emergency convention of SP in Lucknow on Friday last anointing Akhilesh as party president, had been expelled from the party and was not authorised to take any decision regarding SP, the sources said.

Mulayam said the convention of the rival camp, which passed a resolution to anoint Akhilesh as the new party chief, passed no resolution removing him (Mulayam) from the post. He said as per the SP's constitution, such a decision needs the backing of the Parliamentary Board, which was absent.

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