Egged on by uncle and Rajya Sabha member Ramgopal Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav has been making the right moves since raising the banner of revolt against his ageing father.
And Yadav junior has since gone on an offensive.
The Chief Minister enjoys the backing of 209 legislators and 51 MLCs, all of whom signed affidavits on Thursday swearing their support to his leadership.
On Friday, Shivpal Yadav, Mulayam Singh`s brother, met Akhilesh Yadav at the latter`s residence, apparently to discuss possible rapprochement.
“The Chief Minister is clear. There is no going back now. He is not averse to his father but cannot stake his political career on the palace intrigues in the family,” a close aide told IANS.
Sunil Singh Sajan, an Akhilesh protege, says their faction was unfazed by reports that the party symbol `cycle` may be frozen by the Election Commission.
“A lot of development has taken place under Akhilesh Yadav. People see him as a harbinger of good and prosperity, we will work on it,” said Udayveer Singh, another MLC close to the Chief Minister.
