Apparently taking a cue from Rahul Gandhi's success,Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has made his son Akhilesh Yadav president of the party's Uttar Pradesh unit. SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav announced Akhileshs appointment as the SP state president here on Wednesday. Akhilesh (36),who was elected MP from Kannauj and Ferozabad Lok Sabha seats,would be representing Kannauj in the Lok Sabha. Akhilesh will take over from uncle Shivpal Yadav who was appointed to the post after brother Mulayam decided to concentrate on national politics. The new post pitches Akhilesh against Rahul Gandhi,who has big plans to revive the Congress in UP ahead of the 2012 Assembly elections. This means Akhilesh faces an uphill task given the Congress's stunning performance in the general elections,eating into the SPs traditional minority vote bank. With founder member and senior Muslim leader Azam Khan expelled,the SP has also decided to make former MP Rasheed Masood a member of its Parliamentary Board,its apex decision-making body.
