Mulayam postpones SP's Jan 5 national convention

Lucknow: Amidst the ongoing feud in Uttar Pradesh's ruling party, the convention called by SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav here on January 5 was announced to be postponed on Monday.

In a series of tweets, SP leader Shivpal Yadav said that on the orders of Mulayam Singh Yadav, the convention called on January 5 has been postponed for now.

While Shivpal gave no reasons for the abrupt cancellation of the meeting, insiders said perhaps the Mulayam camp was apprehensive of a poor turnout compared to the massive gathering at the "convention" held by Ram Gopal Yadav on Sunday.

The convention was declared illegal and unconstitutional by Mulayam.

Shivpal in another tweet asked party workers to concentrate on their respective constituencies and work hard to win the elections.

Meanwhile, senior SP leaders from both sides (Akhilesh and Mulayam camps) are likely to visit the Election Commission in New Delhi on Monday to put forth their case.

"No one can accuse me of wrongdoing. I have never indulged in corruption or betrayed anyone," said Mulayam before leaving to Delhi. 

The Samajwadi Party split down the middle on Sunday with the faction headed by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav removed Mulayam as party chief and appointed him in his place at a convention in which the group claimed support of the majority of legislators and district units.

The two sides had engaged in mutual recriminatory expulsions with the convention called by Ram Gopal Yadav removing Akhilesh's warring uncle Shivpal Yadav as state party chief, and showing the door to "outsider" Amar Singh, who has been blamed for the feud in the Yadav clan.

Mulayam had retorted by again expelling his cousin Ram Gopal for six years along with national vice president Kiranmoy Nanda, who chaired the convention, and general secretary Naresh Agarwal for taking part in it.