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The group led by U.P. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav “is the Samajwadi Party”, the Election Commission ordered on Monday. His father Mulayam Singh Yadav who had founded the party 25 years ago will have to now look for another symbol to contest the assembly elections in U.P. which goes to seven-phase polls from February 11. 

In its 42-page order, the EC said that Akhilesh Yadav “”enjoys overwhelming majority support both among the legislative and organisational wing of the party.”” The Commission applied the test of majority support approved by the Supreme Court in the case of Sadiq Ali and consistently applied by the EC thereafter in all cases of disputes in recognized political parties.  The Commission also rejected party patriarch Mulayam SIngh Yadav”s claim to the party and the symbol. 

Earlier this month, in a special national convention called by Ramgopal Yadav in Lucknow, Mulayam Singh was removed from the president post appointing Akhilesh in his place. After it, Mualaym Singh Yadav had challenged the Akhilesh Yadav’s elevation, terming the convention as illegal.

The ruling Samajwadi Party in U.P. has been plagued by the Yadav family infighting and differences. While Mulayam Singh Yadav is supported by his brother Shivpal Singh Yadav, his another cousin brother Ramgopal Yadav, a Rajya Sabha member, has backed the young CM Akhilesh Yadav. 

With the symbol issue settled, Akhilesh Yadav will move swiftly to formalise the alliance with the Congress party as he has already hinted that SP-Congress alliance has the potential of winning over 300 seats in assembly. It would face a stiff challenge from the BJP and Mayawati’s BSP who are seeing it as a do or die battle in U.P. to grab power in India’s most crucial State politically. 

For the Samajwadi Party, Akhilesh Yadav’s wife Dimple, a Lok Sabha member, and Priyanka Vadra from the Congress party are said to be working behind the scene to put together grand alliance in the State.”