Ram Gopal declares Akhilesh SP chief, gets expelled by Mulayam

Mulayam has convened a party's national convention on Jan 5 and termed today's meeting as illegal

The ongoing Samajwadi Party feud, with twists and turns over recent months, took a pivotal turn on Sunday with Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav announcing he was taking over as the new national party president, displacing his father and SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav.

A resolution to this effect was taken at an emergency party meeting convened by  general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav and attended by a little over 200 party legislators, ministers, MPs and key functionaries.

The meeting had been earlier termed illegal by Mulayam, who had warned of action against those attending. He has convened the party’s national convention