New Delhi: New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's mentor and Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav approached the Election Commission to stake claim over Samajwadi Party election symbol "cycle" on Wednesday.
"We told the Election Commission that most party MPs, MLAs and MLCs are with Akhilesh. So the party led by him is the true Samajwadi Party and should get the party symbol," Ram Gopal Yadav told reporters here.
Ram Gopal Yadav, KP Nanda, Naresh Agrawal, Abhishek Mishra and Akshay Yadav went to the Election Commission office.
SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, flanked with his brother Shivpal Yadav, Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh and actress-turned politician Jaya Prada, met Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi in the national capital to stake claim on the symbol.
"I am still the president of Samajwadi Party and the decision of the rival camp to appoint CM Akhilesh Yadav as the party chief is against party's constitution," Mulayam told the full Election Commission.
Claiming to have the backing of the SP Parliamentary Board, he said the party symbol 'cycle' belongs to him as he is the party president, sources said.
Interestingly, Mulayam was deposed from the post of party president by the group headed by his son Akhilesh Yadav.
According to constitutional experts, in all likelihood, the poll panel could freeze the party symbol and allot new symbols to both the factions to contest the assembly elections scheduled this year.
This might come as a blow to both sides as the symbol "cycle" is a well established brand.
At a convention held in Lucknow on Sunday, Akhilesh Yadav annointed himself the Samajwadi Party President and said Mulayam Singh would remain a "Marg Darshak".
The Akhilesh camp also named a new state unit chief in place of Shivpal Yadav and sacked Amar Singh, who the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has repeatedly dubbed a "dalal".
The open rebellion prompted Mulayam Singh to again sack Ram Gopal Yadav from the Samajwadi Party. Both Ram Gopal Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav had been sacked on Friday too but were taken back a day later.
