Mulayam Singh Yadav will campaign for SP-Congress

New Delhi: Isolated in his own party, Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav said on Monday that he would campaign for the SP-Congress alliance in Uttar Pradesh. The veteran leader apparently changed his stance, sensing his threats that he would only campaign for his brother Shivpal Yadav had failed to have the desired impact on SP workers who have rallied behind his son and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Mulayan Singh Yadav, who was speaking to reporters outside Parliament, dismissed reports of intra-party differences. “There is no bickering... Akhilesh will be the next chief minister... I will campaign (for the alliance) from tomorrow,” he said.

The SP patriarch’s brother Shivpal Yadav, who has been sidelined in the party, has talked about floating a new outfit after the Assembly polls.

“No one is unhappy... He (Shivpal) has not spoken to me or anyone in the party. He may have said out of anger... Now leave it, there will be no new party,” Mulayam Singh Yadav said.

The Samajwadi Party and the Congress forged a pre-poll alliance in Uttar Pradesh, with the two contesting 298 and 105 seats respectively. The SP patriarch had on January 29 voiced displeasure over the alliance  and had said he would not campaign for it. The state goes to polls in seven phases, starting February 11.

The two factions of the Samajwadi Party, one led by Mulayam Singh and the other by Akhilesh Yadav, had staged a high-voltage battle at the Election Commission over their claimes for the SP’s election symbol, the cycle.

The EC had subsequently awarded the symbol to the Akhilesh faction, citing that the maximum number of SP workers and district and block level office bearers had sent affidafits supporting him.

A sulking Mulayam Singh Yadav had then accepted defeat. However, he soon changed his stance saying he would not support the SP-Congress alliance.