Samajwadi Party ‘splits’ as Akhilesh Yadav named party chief

The simmering internal rift within the Samajwadi Party showed no signs of abating as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was on Sunday anointed as the party chief, a position that has been held by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav for decades. Earlier in the day, party leaders unanimously elected Akhilesh to lead the embattled party during the national executive meeting convened by general



secretary Ramgopal Yadav. The move was termed as “unconstitutional” by family patriarch Mulayam, who in response once again expelled Ramgopal for six years. Party vice-president Kiranmoy Nanda was also expelled from the party for attending the meeting. The national convention had also proposed the expulsion of Amar Singh and removal of Shivpal Singh Yadav from the post of SP’s UP chief.