New Delhi: In a move to dispel rumours of a family feud, Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday said he will extend full support to his party’s alliance with the Congress for the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and his son Akhilesh Yadav will be the next chief minister (CM) in the event of their victory.
“I have no problem with my son Akhilesh Yadav becoming the next chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. There is no dispute between my son and me. I am confident that the SP-Congress alliance will win UP assembly polls,” Mulayam told media on Monday.
He stated that he would soon start campaigning for SP-Congress alliance in the state.
“I will start campaigning soon for the elections. I am not upset with Akhilesh at all as reported in a section of media. Akhilesh has been given full freedom to work,” he averred.
Earlier, Mulayam had expressed displeasure over the SP-Congress pre-poll alliance.
“I am completely against the alliance. I will not campaign for it,” Mulayam had said on January 29, the day Akhilesh and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi held their first joint press conference in state capital Lucknow.
He said Congress ruled the country for a long time and made it laggard.
“We always fought against the Congress party. Samajwadi Party is capable of contesting elections alone. In the past, it fought alone and formed government with a majority. No occasion arose for effecting an alliance,” he had said.
SP and Congress have forged an alliance with them contesting 298 and 105 seats respectively.
Also Mulayam had earlier said he would campaign for his younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav first and then take a call on campaigning for candidates fielded by son Akhilesh.
Shivpal had announced last week that he would form a new party after March 11 when election results are declared.
“How can Shivpal make new party without talking to me?” These are all rumours. No one is unhappy with Akhilesh. Shivpal has not spoken to me or anyone in the party. He may have said that out of anger. Now leave it, there will be no new party,” Mulayam said on Monday.
SP has been in the news for the last three months after a family feud saw Akhilesh pitted against father Mulayam and uncle Shivpal. After a series of expulsions and counter expulsions, Akhilesh captured the party after the Election Commission gave its stamp of approval to his faction.
UP goes to poll in seven phases starting February 11.
