Will SP’s ‘Cycle’ Be Frozen? 

With both factions of the Samajwadi Party demanding the 'cycle', it increasingly appears that the election symbol of 25 long years may get frozen.

Election Commission sources revealed that the commission was studying the constitutional and legal position on the claims of the factions led by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. The chances are that the process will not be completed before January 17, when the nominations for the first phase of the staggered assembly elections begin. "With huge volumes of proof and evidence given by the Akhilesh camp, the process has become protracted and will take more than a month to go through each and every aspect," said an official.

Mulayam Singh met Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi on Monday to present his side on the claim over the party symbol. Ram Gopal Yadav, representing Akhilesh Yadav, met Election Commission officials later. He had last week submitted six boxes of signed affidavits by party delegates, legislators, MPs and office bearers. He submitted 1.5 lakh documents in total to demand that the 'cycle' be allotted to the Chief Minister's camp.

Meanwhile, in a new twist, Shivpal Singh Yadav released video clips that showed that Akhilesh camp representatives had met the Election Commission a month ago asking for motor cycle symbol to be allocated to them. Shivpal said this showed that Akhilesh faction was fully prepared to form a new party much before the actual split.