Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav has said that if his party comes to power in the upcoming UP Assembly polls, the SP MLAs will choose the next chief minister.
Mulayam’s comments are an indication that his son and incumbent CM Akhilesh Yadav might not get a second stint if SP comes to power next year.
“The SP Legislature Party will decide on the name of CM,” PTI quoted him as saying.
“There is no dispute in the family. Shivpal had met him (Akhilesh) this morning. In the last elections, votes were sought in my name but I made him (Akhilesh) the state’s CM,” the 76-year-old leader added.
The remarks have come as a fresh setback to Akhilesh who was recently removed as the party’s state chief due to a feud with his uncle Shivpal Yadav. Also, the chief minister had expressed confidence that he would be the party’s chief ministerial nominee for the elections.
All is not well in the ruling party due to the rift between Mulayam’s brother and son.
On September 13, Mulayam shocked everyone by replacing Akhilesh with Shivpal as the party’s state president. The chief minister retorted by relieving his uncle of all the key portfolios including the PWD department.
A miffed Shivpal resigned on September 15 as the state party chief and cabinet as well. The SP patriarch held closed door talks with both his brother and son.
A day later, Mulayam rejected Shivpal’s resignation and said that the party will not split as long as he was alive.
Following a dismal performance in 2014 Assembly elections in which the SP could clinch only five seats, the party faces stiff competition from the opponents in the Assembly elections.
