Hours after the merger of Samajwadi Party and jailed legislator Mukhtar Ansari's Quami Ekta Dal, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav removed a senior minister - Balram Yadav -- who is believed to have negotiated the merger. The merger was said to the brainchild of Shivpal Yadav, a senior leader of the Samajwadi Party and the Chief Minister's uncle.