WITH MULAYAM Singh Yadav having taken the fight for control of the Samajwadi Party to the Election Commission, the Akhilesh Yadav camp flexed its muscle by claiming it has majority support. At the same time, camp followers also claimed they are not unduly worried about the prospect of the EC freezing the party’s cycle symbol. Party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav is scheduled to visit the Election Commission Tuesday to submit Akhilesh’s claim as the new national president of the party. WATCH VIDEO | Samajwadi Party Crisis: UP Congress MLAs In Favour Of Pre-Poll Pact With Akhilesh Yadav MLC Rajpal Kashyap, who had invited delegates to the special convention that appointed Akhilesh national president in place of Mulayam, said that over 90 per cent of the delegates put their signatures on the proposals taken up at the convention, including the appointment. “There was a rush among party leaders to put their signatures. Most of the MLAs, MPs, zila panchayat chairpersons did so,” he said. “The convention was called only after a written demand by delegates. Most members of the parliamentary board and national executive were on the dais. The process is valid,” he said. WATCH VIDEO |Samajwadi Party Crisis: UP Congress MLAs In Favour Of Pre-Poll Pact With Akhilesh Yadav Kashyap agreed that the SP constitution empowers the president to call a special national convention but added that the vice president has the power to perform all duties in his absence. “The vice president himself presided over the convention. Everything was done in the open with the express approval of party workers,” he said. “There are a few people who want to create problems by misguiding Netaji.” A party leader close to Akhilesh said they have “done solid paperwork” to defend the convention. About the party symbol, an MLC said, “We will keep the cycle as our symbol. But let it be known that Akhilesh himself is the symbol of the election. In any election, the person with public support is everything,” said a party MLC. Kiranmoy Nanda, who presided over Akhilesh’s anointment as vice-president, said in the morning that the party symbol is “not a big thing”. “We have everything. We are not separate from Netaji. We are with him,” he said. To the question about Amar Singh’s comment that Mulayam keeps him in his heart, Nanda said, “He is not in his heart. He wants to break Netaji’s heart. He had tried to do so earlier. He is planning to do so now.” Mulayam expelled Nanda from the party Sunday for attending the convention at Lucknow’s Janeshwar Mishra Park, which was also attended by over 10,000 party workers. MLC Naresh Uttam, who has been appointed the new UP president by Akhilesh, met party workers at SP state headquarters Monday. Though security personnel were outside the party office, people moved freely in and out. Akhilesh asked party workers to go to their areas rather than camp in Lucknow. Akhilesh is said to be keen to avoid further confrontation, now that the party reins are in his hands. “He has told us that no worker should be stopped from coming to the party office,” said a legislator who met him Monday.
