Burying the hatchet? Akhilesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav meet in public after a year

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav seen together with father and party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav in public after more than a year on the occassion of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia's Death anniversary at Lohia Park in Lucknow on Thursday.(Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)

Akhilesh and Mulayam were engaged in an open face-off before the UP elections over the sacking of each other’s loyalists, Shivpal Yadav and Ramgopal Yadav, from the party. While Akhilesh, who was the Chief Minster at the time sacked Shivpal, his uncle and, along with three other “pro-Amar Singh” ministers from his Cabinet, Mulayam Singh, who was the then party chief, hit back by dismissing Ramgopal, pro-CM cousin and SP’s national general secretary, from the party for six years. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)

The family feud in the Yadav clan began in October last year, when Mulayam replaced 43-year-old Akhilesh Yadav with his uncle Shivpal as the party chief, and also expelled several youth leaders seen as close to Akhilesh. The move came just days after MLC Udayveer Singh was sacked after he shot off a stinging letter to Mulayam accusing his second wife of hatching a conspiracy against the chief minister. While asking Mulayam to clarify on his political successor, Udayveer also demanded that Akhilesh be made the party’s national president so that there was no room for speculation or doubt. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)

The confrontation between Akhilesh and Mulayam appeared to have reached a point of no return when reports emerged that Akhilesh Yadav could launch a new party — National Samajwadi Party or Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party with motorcycle as its symbol to contest the assembly elections in February this year. (Express Photo By Vishal Srivastav)

The months long battle over the election symbol was settled after the election commission had ruled in favour of the faction backing Akhilesh Yadav to have the sole right of using the 'cycle symbol' of Samajwadi party during the assembly elections in February this year. (Express Photo By Vishal Srivastav)

At the event commemorating the death anniversary of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia in Lucknow on Thursday, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also touched the feet of his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, presumably gesturing an end of the family feud. (Express Photo By Vishal Srivastava)