Addressing his maiden rally this election season, Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday sought votes for his brother Shivpal Yadav and urged the Uttar Pradesh electorate to put aside the grievances and vote the party to power.
"Leave aside the grievances, whether it's from Shivpal's side, me or any other and help Shivpal Yadav and other SP candidates to win, so that we can form the government for fifth time," Mulayam said.
Campaigning for his brother Shivpal, who is also a nominee from Jaswantnagar, Mulayam refrained from taking Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's name, who took over the reins of the party after a bitter power struggle.
"I am here to campaign for Shivpal Singh Yadav. I want to make an appeal to the youth and everyone present here, to vote for Shivpal," Mulayam said while addressing the rally at S.S. Memorial College in Takha, a Tehsil in Etawah District.
Putting the weight behind his brother, Mulayam said Shivpal has worked for the betterment of the people in his constituency.
Meanwhile, nearly 65 percent voter turnout was registered in the first phase of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
The final figure of poll percentage is likely to be higher as there were several voters in queue at the time of scheduled closing of the poll.