Akhilesh Yadav May Have Numbers, But Mulayam Singh Says He Is Still Samajwadi Party Boss

New Delhi: Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday claimed that he remains the chief of the Samajwadi Party and his brother Shivpal the party's state unit president. He is expected to meet Election Commission officials today over the claim for the party symbol, the cycle.

At a brief, chaotic media conference in Delhi, Mulayam Singh said his son remains the Chief Minister and Ram Gopal Yadav, who had called last Sunday's convention and declared Akhilesh Yadav the party's national president, had no right to do so since he had been expelled two days before.   

Party sources, however, said Mulayam Singh, who arrived in Delhi on Sunday morning, has asked party workers to prepare for polls at a brief meeting. The Samajwadi Party patriarch also indicated that the numbers do not favour him, a section of the party had claimed.

This morning Mr Singh held a meeting with brother Shivpal Yadav and close confidante Amar Singh - the two men Akhilesh Yadav has accused of acting against the party.

On Saturday, Akhilesh Yadav's mentor and uncle Ram Gopal Yadav faction had submitted six boxes full of documents to the Election Commission -- proof that he has the numbers to justify his claim to the party symbol.  

With the Uttar Pradesh elections due to start on February 11 and go on till March 8, a decision, Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi had said, will be made soon.   

Akhilesh Yadav's party conclave called on January 1 - where he had been declared the party chief in place father Mulayam Singh - had been attended by at least 5,000 supporters, giving momentum to the struggle for power within the party.  The possibility of reconciliation between the two factions has almost been despaired of by party insiders.