Samajwadi Party's 'cycle' row: EC to hear warring factions on 13 January

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Tuesday fixed 13 January to hear the Samajwadi Party’s warring factions led by Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh Yadav to settle the dispute over control of the party and its election symbol of ‘cycle’. According to EC sources, the commission has asked both to appear before it on 13 January at 12.30 pm. [caption id=“attachment_2382232” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav with Mulayam Singh Yadav. File photo. PTI[/caption] “The ECI will hear arguments from both sides before deciding on whom to award the party symbol ‘cycle’,” the source said. The commission’s action came a week after both the factions led by Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam and Akhilesh claimed their stake over the party symbol. Mulayam first approached the EC on 2 January, a day after he was dislodged as the party chief by Akhilesh and his uncle and close confidante Ram Gopal Yadav at an emergency national party executive meeting. Ram Gopal approached the EC the next day to stake Akhilesh’s claim over the party and its symbol. Meanwhile, Mulayam and Ram Gopal also met the Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi on Monday asking him to speed up the process before 17 January as the process of nomination begins for the first phase of polling in the state to be held on 11 February.