Samajwadi Party received a setback on Thursday when the party’s former president of Chhattisgarh unit and national executive member Ramanand Yadav resigned announcing to float a new political outfit ‘Samajwadi Swabhiman Manch’ with motorcycle as its election symbol.
Announcing the new party, Yadav said that the new outfit will contest all 403 seats in the 2017 Assembly polls. “The party has been registered with the Election Commission and it has asked for motorcycle as its election symbol,” he told media persons in lucknow on Thursday.
Yadav said that the on-going family feud has given a bad name to the Samajwadi Party. People have started questioning the morality of leaders to continue in power.
“The way dirty linen has been washed in public reflects that nothing is going well in the family. When relations among senior leaders is not cordial, how can we expect the party to progress,” he asked.
In his resignation sent to Mulayam Singh Yadav on October 24, Ramanand Yadav said, “I am leaving the party after being humiliated several times. Though you are my political guru yet you never cared for me nor you gave me any respect in the party.”
The political grapevine was agog with rumors of some leader floating a party with motorcycle as its election symbol. When former Samajwadi Party leader Prof Ramgopal Yadav had gone to Election Commission, it was believed that he was the man looking for motorcycle as symbol.
When Ramanand Yadav was asked as to why he has insisted on motorcycle as election symbol he said: “I am used to seeing cycle as my party flag. Now that I have launched my party, I opted for motorcycle – which is close to cycle.”