Mulayam no more star campaigner for SP

Samajwadi Party (SP) patron Mulayam Singh Yadav is no longer a star campaigner for the party he had founded several decades back.

The SP on Sunday released the list of its 40-star campaigners.

The list included the names of party president Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple Yadav, but the most striking exclusion was the name of Mulayam, who had been a star performer for the party all these years.

The list also had film actress turned politician Jaya Bachchan and party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav.

SP sources said that Mulayam was not included as a star campaigner owing to his health. ''Netaji's (Mulayam) health may not allow him to take part in the election campaign on a large scale... he may address a few rallies here and there though,'' said a senior UP-SP leader here.

Mulayam's younger brother and rebel party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav, who has floated his own outfit and has vowed to field his nominees on all 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state, termed the exclusion as ''humiliation'' of the SP patron.

''SP was founded by Mulayam... Akhilesh has no contribution in the rise of the party...he has ditched his own father,'' Shivpal said.