Mulayam Singh Yadav faction likely to meet EC today

The ruling Samajwadi Party of Uttar Pradesh seems to be heading towards a vertical split as party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav has refused to accept Akhilesh Yadav as president of the party. 

Mulayam Singh declared on Sunday that he continued to be the president of Samajwadi Party and described ​the national convention 'illegitimate' called on January l​st​ by his son Akhilesh Yadav and his supporters​. Mulayam claimed ​that ​the signatures of support from MLAs given by the Akhilesh camp to the Election Commission had no value as they ceased to be legislators after the model code of conduct came into force on January 4 with the announcement of the poll schedule. The Mulayam faction is all set to meet Election Commission panel in Delhi to make its claim over party



and the symbol cycle. 

With time running out and the Election Commission set to pronounce its verdict on respective claims by the Mulayam and Akhilesh factions to SP's 'cycle' symbol, it could well lead to a quadrangular contest in the coming polls, leaving the two party factions to fight it out with BJP and Mayawati's BSP.

Congress and the Akhilesh camp have already expressed their intent to tie up.​ The Mulayam camp is set to meet the EC ​today to question the genuineness of the affidavits submitted to the EC by his cousin Ram Gopal, the general secretary of the rival camp.​ Amar Singh also alleged that the signatures of support from MLAs and party office​ ​bearers, given to the EC by Ram Gopal, were forged and their authenticity was suspect.