Akhilesh Yadav and estranged father Mulayam Singh Yadav are making a renewed effort at a truce to keep their Samajwadi Party from cracking in two just ahead of the election in Uttar Pradesh.
After a meeting that expanded beyond two hours, sources said a peace treaty was discussed with some compromises.
Indicating that a truce should not be considered accomplished, Ram Gopal Yadav, who is the main mentor to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, said that their claim to use the party symbol of the cycle remains valid. Ram Gopal Yadav met with the Election Commission to file ownership rights.
Amid the intense power tussle, Akhilesh met his father at his Lucknow home, leading to speculation that efforts were being made for a patch-up.
However, some senior party leaders close to Akhilesh denied any such effort, saying it was “too late”.
After the meeting, a senior party leader close to Akhilesh told that “it was too late. There is no scope for any settlement. The Election Commission will decide who will get SP’s cycle”.
Sources said the compromise formula could have been this: Akhilesh Yadav would step down from his new post as Samajwadi Party president if the Mulayam-Shivpal camp allowed him to choose poll candidates.
According to reports, Akhilesh is also said to be ready to restore presidentship of the party’s state unit to Shivpal Yadav.
