Mulayam elected SP chief for ninth consecutive term

LUCKNOW: Veteran politician Mulayam Singh Yadav was re-elected unopposed national president of Samajwadi Party for a record ninth consecutive term on the inaugural day of the party’s national convention that began at Janeshwar Misra Park in Gomtinagar on Wednesday morning. Though Mulayam’s re-election was a given, it was the election process that turned out to be interesting affair.

Election of party’s national president and the 50-member national executive was completed within 80 seconds. The process began at 11:43 am when party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav who was the election officer for the polls announced candidature of Mulayam Singh Yadav as the only nomination in place and declared him elected unopposed. The 50-member national executive was elected by a voice vote from delegates present at the convention who authorised the national president to constitute the national executive of his choice.

The tenure of the national executive and the national president lasts three years. Almost the entire Yadav first family shared the stage with all senior most leaders of the party at the national convention. Apart from Mulayam’s son and SP state president Akhilesh Yadav, his wife and sitting SP MP Dimple Yadav, Mulayam’s younger son Prateek and his wife Aparna were also present on the stage during the ceremony. Political detractors of SP, as expected, grabbed the opportunity to question the presence of Mulayam’s younger son and his wife as neither of them are office-bearers in the party.

Apart from almost the entire Akhilesh cabinet including Shiv Pal Yadav, Mohammed Azam Khan, Ram Gopal Yadav and Naresh Agarwal, the who’s-who of SP had gathered to witness the re-election of Mulayam Singh Yadav as party chief. Cine star and SP MP Jaya Bhaduri was also present.

Reports of sacked SP general secretary Amar Singh attending the convention were proved baseless as Singh failed to turn up. His bete noire and one of the senior most ministers in Akhilesh cabinet Mohammed Azam Khan was present at the function which was being seen as a confirmation that Amar Singh would not attend the event.

Earlier, Azam Khan had skipped an event at the same venue held on August 5, during which Amar Singh shared the stage Mulayam for the first time since his sacking from the party in 2009. His visit had triggered rumors of his re-joining the SP. But the party’s top leadership continued to deny any possibility of Amar Singh’s re-entry.

Earlier, SP leadership witnessed unveiling of the 25-feet statue of Janeshwar Misra one of the most revered leaders of the party. More than 8,000 delegates from almost all the state in India attended the convention which will continue till Thursday.