Akhilesh recasts SP team; Shivpal, Azam made general secretaries

New Delhi, January 29

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday announced a 63 member national executive of the party, appointing once estranged uncle Shivpal Yadav, controversial leader Swami Prasad Maurya and veteran Azam Khan as general secretaries.

Maurya’s elevation in the SP triggered a backlash from the BJP and Congress with both parties slamming the appointment following Maurya’s objectionable references to ‘Ramcharitamanas’.

While the BJP said SP’s anti-Hindu and castiest face had come to the fore, the Congress said “we now know at whose behest Maurya said what he said.”

Shivpal Yadav, who had been dropped from the UP Cabinet in 2016 following a rift with Akhilesh and left to form his own outfit, was eventually rehabilitated today in the party.

Shivpal and Akhilesh had united for the Mainpuri Lok Sabha byelection after the demise of SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The unity yielded results as SP candidate and Akhilesh’s wife Dimple Yadav won the Mainpuri LS bypoll by a margin of over 2.8 lakh votes.

In all, Akhilesh announced 14 general secretaries. The other national general secretaries include Ravi Prakash Verma, Balram Yadav, Vishwambhar Prasad Nishad and Awadhesh Prasad.