Ahead of UP polls, Mulayam sacks Akhilesh, Ram Gopal for six years from SP

Development came after Akhilesh declared his own candidates for 235 seats for UP polls

The feud in the first family of Samajwadi Party has turned bitter with party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday sacking Uttar pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and party Secretary General Ram Gopal Yadav for six years.

"I am expelling Ram Gopal Yadav from the party for six years. He has harmed party's interests through his activities, and has been deliberately creating problems in the party," Mulayam Singh said in a press conference.

"Prof Ramgopal Yadav is finishing Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's future," Mualaym said.

"No one has the right to call for the national executive meet other than the party chief. We don't want to take harsh steps against anyone, but we had no choice in Ram Gopal Yadav's case," Mulayam added.

Earlier in the day, Mulayam slapped a showcause notice on his son Akhilesh Yadav and Ramgopal Yadav over indiscipline.

Mulayam took the step after Akhilesh declared his own candidates for 235 seats for UP polls on Thursday, against the official list announced by Mulayam.

Hurt by the Chief Minister's move, Mulayam said, "Akhilesh did not consult me before releasing the list of candidates for UP polls. We will decide on who the chief minister will be."

Stung by the showcause notice, Ramgopal called an emergency meeting of the party on January 1 in his capacity as General Secretary.

In an open rebellion that could split the SP, Akhilesh declared his own candidates for 235 seats against the official list announced by his father and SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav for the upcoming Assembly polls.

The list of names was made available on social media by party MLAs who failed to get a ticket in the official list on Wednesday.

Prominent among those figuring in the list are ministers Arvind Singh Gope, Pawan Pandey and Ram Govind Chaudhary, who are the hardcore Akhilesh loyalists denied tickets by Mulayam.

The candidates were declared by Akhilesh hours after he held a meeting with his loyalists, including MLAs, who were left out of the list of 325 announced by Mulayam.

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly has 403 seats.

Akhilesh has been unhappy over the declaration of candidates by Mulayam which included certain names to whose nomination the Chief Minister had strong reservation.

Mulayam, along with his brother and state party unit chief Shivpal, had announced the names at a hurriedly-convened press conference on Wednesday when Akhilesh was away on a tour of Bundelkhand.