Extending an olive branch to warring faction Samajwadi Patry patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav declared that Akhilesh Yadav would be the Chief Ministerial face of the party in the forthcoming assembly election.
The announcement came in a day when Mulayam Singh had met officials in Election Commission of India in New Delhi and had claimed his right over samajwadi Party’s election symbol `cycle’.
“I want to make it clear that Akhilesh Yadav would be the next Chief Minister of the state,” he said to a private news channel immediately after his an hour long meeting with Shivpal Singh Yadav and tainted minister Gyatri Prajapati after his return from New Delhi.
Declaring Chief Ministerial candidate was one of the bone of contention in the feud between father and son. Mulayam Singh had earlier refused to project Akhilesh as CM face and claimed that legislature party will elect new CM. He even said that he himself was elected CM by legislature party. The shift came in stand of Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday evening when clarified that now Akhilesh would be the Chief Ministerial candidate.
The announcement to this private channel seems to be a well thought out political strategy as he knew what exactly he had to say as he had jotted points on a piece of paper when he spoke to the reporter.
“There are three points. One, there would be any division in Samajwadi party, two I will start election campaign shortly and address meetings at divisional headquarters and third Akhilesh would be CM candidate of the party, “he said while reading out notes from the page.
Probably, this is the last attempt Mulayam Singh had made to salvage his party which he had built brick by brick in last 25 years. In Delhi he had told reporters that he had no differences with his son.
The Akhilesh Yadav camp is bit circumspect over this statement. “Mulayam Singh Yadav is our leader but he has not spoken about candidates. let’s see what happens. But yes, this is a positive step in right direction,” Naved Siddiaqui a party spokesman said.