Akhilesh Yadav Expelled By Father Mulayam Singh Yadav, Samajwadi Party Set To Split

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is meeting party lawmakers and supporters at his 5 Kalidas Marg residence in Lucknow after his father and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, dropped a bombshell on Friday evening expelling the young chief minister from the party just ahead of crucial elections in Uttar Pradesh. He has also expelled his cousin and senior party leader Ram Gopal Yadav for the second time in months, accused him of "spoiling the career of the chief minister".

The Samajwadi Party chief said both Akhilesh and Ram Gopal have been sacked for weakening the party.

"I made Akhilesh Chief Minister... and now he does not even consult me," said the father as he announced the son's expulsion, adding that he was sacking the son to "save the party". Mr Singh would not immediately say who will be chief minister in place of Akhilesh Yadav. Elections in UP are expected to be announced any day now.

Hundreds of party workers had gathered outside Akhilesh Yadav's Lucknow residence on Friday night, raising slogans in his support. All eyes are now on a party meeting called by Akhilesh Yadav through uncle Ram Gopal on Sunday. Sources said about 80 per cent of the Samajwadi party's 224 lawmakers in the UP assembly support Akhilesh Yadav and are likely to turn up.

Today promises much dramatic action too. After the meeting of party lawmakers called by the Chief Minister at his 5 Kalidas Marg residence in Lucknow, many of them will also be required to attend a meeting called by Mulayam Singh Yadav - at his residence a kilometre away - of all candidates named by him for the UP elections earlier this week. For both father and son, the turnout at these meetings will test who has the more support in the party.

The party has been on a verge of a split for many months now owing to a bitter battle for control between the 43-year-old Chief Minister and his uncle Shivpal Yadav. Mulayam Singh has consistently sided with his brother often subjecting his son to humiliation with snubs delivered publicly.

It was earlier this week when Mulayam Singh announced a list of candidates for the UP elections that excluded several of Akhilesh Yadav's key aides, including some ministers. It included many candidates recommended by Shivpal Yadav, who replaced Akhilesh as the party's UP chief recently, some of them with criminal records whose nomination the chief minister had fiercely opposed.  

Akhilesh Yadav first attempted to convince his father to reconsider his decision and then released a parallel list of 235 candidates on Thursday.   

On Friday, Mulayam Singh Yadav issued a show cause notice asking his son why disciplinary action should not be taken against him for releasing that list. Less than an hour later, he sacked him. Only the party chief can call an emergency meeting, Mulayam Singh said, appealing to party workers not to attend.

In the first reaction from his son's camp, Ram Gopal Yadav, known as 'Professor' in the party, threw the rulebook at Mulayam Singh, accusing him of acting against the constitution of the party. He said the Sunday's meeting is on.