Team Akhilesh Yadav Takes Battle for Cycle to Election Commission, Submits Affidavits to 'Prove Majority'

New Delhi: The Akhilesh Yadav faction of the Samajwadi Party moved a step closer to claiming the party’s cycle symbol on Saturday when Ram Gopal Yadav submitted signed affidavits of over 4,000 party delegates to the Election Commission.

Ram Gopal submitted the affidavits of 4,716 delegates out of a total of 5,731.

“This is overwhelming majority... Over 90% of the Samajwadi Party is led by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav,” Ram Gopal said.

These delegates include majority of the party’s elected legislators, parliamentarians, councilors and members of its National Convention.

“The Election Commission gave us time till January 9 but we have submitted all relevant documents,” Ram Gopal said. The documents were brought to the poll panel’s office in seven cartons and run into more than 1.5 lakh pages.

Claiming the party’s cycle symbol, Ram Gopal said: “Prima facie the SP led by Akhilesh Yadav is the real Samajwadi Party.”

While Ram Gopal was on his way to the Election Commission office, back in Lucknow Shivpal Yadav and Azam Khan reached Mulayam Singh Yadav’s residence to hold their third meeting of the day.

A copy of the affidavits was also sent to Mulayam.

Polls will be held in seven phases in Uttar Pradesh on February 11 (73 constituencies), February 15 (67), February 19 (69), February 23 (53), February 27 (52), March 3 (49) and March 8 (40).

The announcement of poll schedule has hastened efforts by the two camps to bag the 'cycle' symbol.

After deposing Mulayam as SP boss, Akhilesh appeared to be consolidating his position further by appointing presidents of several district units in his capacity as the "new SP chief".

The presidents in Deoria, Kushinagar, Azamgarh and Mirzapur had been removed by Shivpal.

Hectic back channel moves to broker peace were witnessed in the state capital during the past few days, but all efforts failed to salvage the ruling party from a split.

(With agency inputs)