NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav is likely to nominate his son Akhilesh as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh after the party stormed to power in the state with a stunning majority routing Mayawati-led BSP, making this the biggest win in the state in 27 years. Akhilesh though says he will focus only on the party and not accept any position in the government.
"We will continue with the projects we had started in our previous regime. We will build infrastructure like roads in the state. If we can provide that then UP will be at par will all the other states. I have been given the responsibility to run the party. I will do just that and not accept any position in Mulayam Singh's government," he told CNN-IBN.
The Mulayam Singh Yadav-led party captured 225 seats in the 403-member House. SP, which was ousted from power in 2007 on law and order issues, avenged its defeat at the hands of BSP which was reduced to 80 seats from 206 five years ago.
SP's previous best performance was winning 143 seats in 2002 elections in a triangular contest with BSP and BJP. The party's impressive performance could be gauged from the fact that it not only snatched seats from BSP but also made inroads into the stronghold of BJP like Lucknow.
The SP will hold its Parliamentary Board and legislature party meeting on Wednesday to decide its Chief Ministerial candidate.
BJP was placed in third spot with 47 seats while Congress and its allies were relegated to fourth place with a tally of 38 seats. While BJP this time lost four seats from its 2007 tally Congress improved its position marginally from 22 five years ago. The Congress, which was hoping to do well after Rahul Gandhi's extensive campaigning in 207 constituencies, improved its previous tally of 22 seats.
41-year-old Gandhi, who had led an aggressive campaign, was quick to acknowledge the defeat and owned responsibility for the party's dismal performance which he termed as a "very good lesson" for him. "I own the responsibility for this. This is one of my defeats and I take it in my stride," he said.
Meanwhile, sporadic violence involving Samajwadi workers broke out in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday in which one boy was killed, two people injured and TV cameras smashed during a clash with mediamen who were trapped in separate incidents.
Fresh from his party's stunning victory in Assembly elections, Samajwadi leader Akhilesh Yadav condemned the violence and assured that action will be taken against all those who have taken law into their hands. He said he was aware of the three incidents in Sambhal, Jhansi and Firozabad.
"These incidents in Jhasi and Firozabad happened because we didn't get enough time and many officers are still from the previous government. But now I assure action will be taken against those involved in today's incidents by tomorrow morning, they will be expelled from the party," he told CNN-IBN.
Police said the 12-year-old boy identified as Danish died after being hit by a bullet during celebratory firing allegedly by supporters of SP candidate from Sambhal assembly seat.