SP deadlock continues amid hectic parleys

Mulayam against Shivpal, Amar quitting

Hectic parleys to resolve the raging crisis within the Samajwadi Party (SP) continued on Friday with a series of meetings between the Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav factions.

Mulayam’s brother Shivpal Singh Yadav, who was removed as state unit president by Akhilesh after his anointment as the national president of the SP, also had a meeting with the chief minister in the morning, raising hopes of a resolution to the crisis.

SP Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh also held three rounds of meetings with Mulayam, and, according to a source, has offered to resign from the party if that “helps bring Akhilesh and Mulayam together”.

Singh, however, took potshots at Akhilesh for “betraying” Mulayam and Shivpal.
“Akhilesh was brought up by Shivpal... I have also contributed to Akhilesh’s education,” the MP told a news agency. A source said Shivpal and Singh had offered to resign, but Mulayam was opposed to the idea.

Senior minister Azam Khan also met Akhilesh and Mulayam to find a solution to the crisis, but to no avail, the source said.

Mulayam, who was scheduled to address a press conference at 4 pm, cancelled it in the last minute, triggering speculation that a compromise formula had been agreed upon.

Meanwhile, in Delhi, SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav did not meet Election Commission officials with the affidavits submitted by party MLAs, MLCs and MPs who had supported Akhilesh, after reports emerged that efforts were on in Lucknow to find a solution to the crisis.

Mulayam’s brothers Abhay Ram Yadav and Rajpal Yadav also arrived from Saifai, the native village of the Yadavs, to “unify” the warring leaders.

Another source said Akhilesh had hinted that he would not wait for the “compromise formula indefinitely” and was likely to announce the list of his faction’s candidates next week.

“The polls are very close and any delay will only damage our electoral prospects... we will declare our list if a compromise is not achieved within the next couple of days,” said a leader close to Akhilesh.

Some leaders in the Akhilesh faction are against a compromise with Shivpal.
“We have the numbers... ours is the real SP,” a leader from the Akhilesh camp said.