Samajwadi Party MlA from Ballia, Ram Govind Chaudhary is likely to be the leader of Opposition in the 17th Uttar Pradesh Assembly. Samajwadi Party sources said the party president Akhilesh Yadav has approved Chaudhary’s name.
The meeting of Samajwadi Party legislators was held in lucknow on March 16 and the newly-elected MlAs authorised the party chief to elect the leader of Opposition.
Though Shivpal Yadav had announced after the poll that he was not in the race for the coveted post, SP sources said that it was a case of Rssour grapes’.
Shivpal was the leader of Opposition in the Assembly during the BSP regime from 2007-12. In 2007, his elder brother Mulayam Singh Yadav was leader of Opposition. Mulayam Singh vacated the Assembly seat after his election to lok Sabha from Mainpuri in 2009 elections. Shivpal had succeeded Mulayam Singh as the leader of Opposition.
Nine terms MlA of the SP from Rampur, Azam Khan, was another claimant for the post. His claim was stronger as he not only won his traditional seat but his son Abdullah Azam, who made his electoral debut from Swar Tanda in Rampur also won his seat. SP sources said that party patriarch Mulayam Singh favoured Azam Khan for the post.
Meanwhile, the UP Assembly will meet on Tuesday. Protem Speaker Fateh Bahadur Singh will administer oath of office to the newly elected MlAs on March 28 and 29. Election of the new Speaker of the Assembly would be held on March 30.
BJP leader Hriday Naryan Dikshit elected to the Assembly from Bhagwant Nagar Assembly segment if Unnao is likely to be the next Speaker.