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‘Akhilesh to be CM face for 2017’
LUCKNOW: Days after Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav refused to endorse his son as the chief ministerial candidate for the 2017 assembly polls, the party’s
LUCKNOW: Days after Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav refused to endorse his son as the chief ministerial candidate for the 2017 assembly polls, the party’s national vice-president Kiranmoy Nanda on Monday said it would be Akhilesh Yadav.
Addressing a press conference at the SP state unit office, Nanda blamed the media for misinterpreting the party chief ’s statement. “Mulayam was speaking on the constitution of the party and the procedure for election of the chief minister after assembly elections,” he said.
Announcing that Akhilesh would lead the party’s election campaign as well, Nanda said, “My declaration has the approval of party national president Mulayam Singh Yadav.”
The feud in the party intensified on Friday after Mulayam said the CM candidate would be decided by elected legislators and the parliamentary board. The statement evoked sharp reaction from the party cadre and SP leaders were quick to choose sides.
SP national general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Ramgopal Yadav shot off a letter to Mulayam on Sunday, urging him to project Akhilesh as CM candidate.
“The morale of party workers is low and it may leave an adverse impact on the party’s fortunes in the election,” he said, adding that Mulayam would be held responsible for the defeat and history would not forgive him for wrong decisions.
Senior SP leaders Azam Khan, Rajendra Chaudhary as well as heads of party’s frontal organisations rallied behind Akhilesh. As pressure mounted, Shivpal on Sunday announced that Akhilesh would lead the election campaign and take over as chief minister after the party returned to power.
