Mulayam's brother elected working president of UP SP

Meerut, UP, Nov 1 (UNI) Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav's younger brother and former state minister Shivpal Singh Yadav was today elected as the working president of the party's state unit during its sixth state-level convention here today.

Ram Sharan Das Gujjar, who had been the president of the state unit for the past five terms, was re-elected as the president. But his failing health led to the appointment of Mr Shivpal Singh Yadav as the working president. With Mr Shivpal Singh Yadav promoted as working president, former state minister and four-time MLA Om Prakash Singh was elected as the state general secretary. Mr Shivpal Singh Yadav was the state unit general secretary.

The names of Mr Gujjar as president, Mr Yadav as working presient and Mr Singh as state general secretary were proposed by former minister and senior party leader Naresh Agarwal and seconded by several leaders, including leader of the opposition in Legislative Council Ahmed Hassan and member of parliament Mohan Singh.

In his address, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav hoped that Mr Ram Sharan Das regained his health at the earliest so that the need for a working president was eliminated.

The newly-appointed office bearers have been empowered to set up a new state executive. The new office-bearers have been elected for a period of three years.

In his address before the election, Mr Ram Sharan Das lamented that party leaders failed to heed to his advice to stay in their constituencies ahead of elections. ''They preferred to stay in Lucknow to get their works done and the party suffered electoral reverses in the assembly elections.'' Similar views were expressed by Mr Shivpal Singh Yadav in his report presented during the convention. He said despite an increase in vote share, the SP could win lesser seats (97) as compared to the 2002 assembly elections (143).

UNI