<p>Barely had the dust settled on its family feud, when sharp divisions once again appeared within the Samajwadi Party (SP) over the post of party’s leader in the Rajya Sabha.<br /><br /></p>.<p>According to sources in the part, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav wanted senior leader Naresh Agarwal to be appointed for the post of party’s leader in the upper house, which became vacant after the expulsion of Ram Gopal Yadav, a few days back.<br /><br />The party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and state SP president Shivpal Singh Yadav, however, favoured Beni Prasad Verma, who had recently returned to his old part from Congress.<br /><br />Agarwal was considered to be close to Akhilesh. He had also openly asked the party leadership to project Akhilesh as the chief ministerial nominee in the forthcoming assembly elections when the feud within the SP family was at its peak.<br /><br />Agarwal was also understood to be close to Ram Gopal Yadav, who was expelled by Mulayam after he wrote a letter to the latter virtually blaming him for the problems within the party.<br /><br />Mulayam and Shivpal wanted Beni to take over as the SP leader in the Rajya Sabha. Beni Verma was considered to be close to Mulayam. It was Mulayam, who had prevailed upon those who opposed Beni’s nomination to the Rajya Sabha.<br /><br />Besides SP Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh was also said to be opposed to Agarwal’s appointment as party’s leader in the upper house and was in favour of Beni Verma.<br /><br />“Beni Verma had left the party, when it needed him and joined the Congress.....he can not be trusted,” said a senior SP leader, who was an Akhilesh supporter, here on Friday.<br /><br />The party sources here said that the issue might snowball into another controversy ahead of the forthcoming assembly polls and see the rival factions locking horn.</p>
<p>Barely had the dust settled on its family feud, when sharp divisions once again appeared within the Samajwadi Party (SP) over the post of party’s leader in the Rajya Sabha.<br /><br /></p>.<p>According to sources in the part, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav wanted senior leader Naresh Agarwal to be appointed for the post of party’s leader in the upper house, which became vacant after the expulsion of Ram Gopal Yadav, a few days back.<br /><br />The party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and state SP president Shivpal Singh Yadav, however, favoured Beni Prasad Verma, who had recently returned to his old part from Congress.<br /><br />Agarwal was considered to be close to Akhilesh. He had also openly asked the party leadership to project Akhilesh as the chief ministerial nominee in the forthcoming assembly elections when the feud within the SP family was at its peak.<br /><br />Agarwal was also understood to be close to Ram Gopal Yadav, who was expelled by Mulayam after he wrote a letter to the latter virtually blaming him for the problems within the party.<br /><br />Mulayam and Shivpal wanted Beni to take over as the SP leader in the Rajya Sabha. Beni Verma was considered to be close to Mulayam. It was Mulayam, who had prevailed upon those who opposed Beni’s nomination to the Rajya Sabha.<br /><br />Besides SP Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh was also said to be opposed to Agarwal’s appointment as party’s leader in the upper house and was in favour of Beni Verma.<br /><br />“Beni Verma had left the party, when it needed him and joined the Congress.....he can not be trusted,” said a senior SP leader, who was an Akhilesh supporter, here on Friday.<br /><br />The party sources here said that the issue might snowball into another controversy ahead of the forthcoming assembly polls and see the rival factions locking horn.</p>