Mulayam Singh Yadav

Hectic parleys over a month-and-a-half have yielded no results though early signs of a joint front against the BJP in UP were discernable in the first week of November itself when MSY invited socialists of all hues to Lucknow for a gala event to mark SP‘s 25th anniversary celebrations.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav feels the days of caste-based politics in the state are over and now the two Ds -- development and demonetisation problems -- will work in favour of the Samajwadi Party in the upcoming assembly polls.

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Mulayam Singh Yadav will address his first rally in the run-up to the 2011 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election at Azamgarh on November 23.

The Centre will take more measures as part of its fight against black money, a top BJP leader today said.

The development comes a day after party Supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav made multiple attempts on Sunday to broker a truce between the two warring factions within the party.

Minutes after Akhilesh ruled out floating a new party, Shivpal said at the meeting of party legislators: "Recently, I went to meet the CM. He said he would float a party and ally with some parties." Shivpal, who is at daggers drawn with the chief minister over a host of issues, said he was ready to vow for it. "I can swear by Gangajal," he said.

"People are saying a new party will be formed. Who is forming this new party? I am not," Akhilesh Yadav said, while addressing the party supporters at SP headquarters.

Addressing party men here, Mulayam said his son and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will not defy his words and announced that sacked mining minister Gayatri Prajapati will be taken back in the UP Cabinet, considered a bone of contention between Shivpal and Akhilesh.

"The central government is seriously considering implementing a new education system by making fundamental changes, including the system of not failing students up to Class VIII, in the present one," the Union Minister of State for HRD told reporters here yesterday.

The Water Resources minister alleged that the UP CM was not granting time to officers of her department to give a presentation on the project for granting of NOC.

The LJP chief said if NDA, in which his party is also an ally, comes to power in the state following 2017 election, they would provide subsidy and bear the expense.

Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "copying" his schemes of adopting villages and constructing toilets.

Ahead of the winter session, socialist opposition parties SP, JD-U, RJD and JD-S on Thursday announced a united front in parliament to counter the BJP led government.

It is the first test for BJP after it's big win in the Lok Sabha elections. After BJP's near total sweep in Lok Sabha polls in UP, it is to be seen whether the party can retain its 10 seats.

Rahul Gandhi said that the Lokpal Bill alone is not enough to fight corruption. "It is the responsibility of the 15th Lok Sabha to approve all six anti-corruption bills. I request for extension of the session. Need to pass the Judicial Accountability Bill, the Whistle Blowers Bill."

As things stand, Modi has had a head start in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in terms of perceptions, and an early poll shows how far ahead he is currently.

The delegation is likely to include UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, Union Minister Anand Sharma and CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury.

While The Times Now-CVoter poll sees the BJP emerging as the single-largest party with 162 seats, The Economic Times poll with Nielsen, which concentrated on Uttar Pradesh and Bihar – which hold the key to 2014 – shows the BJP gaining ground. Nielsen predicts 44 seats for the BJP out of 120 in these two Hindi heartland states.

Samajwadi party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav have justified the decision to suspend Durga Shakti Nagpal for allegedly demolishing a mosque wall in a village in Gautam Budh Nagar district of the state.

The bill seeks to give nation's three-fourth population the right to get 5 kg of foodgrains every month at highly subsidised rates of Rs 1-3 per kg.