'Cycle' symbol goes to Akhilesh Yadav: Election Commission

dynamitenews.com
New Delhi/ 16 January 2017. The Election Commission (EC) decided on Monday that the Samajwadi Party's (SP) 'cycle' symbol would go to the Akhilesh Yadav-led faction of the party, handing a blow to his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav.

With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls less than a month away, the EC's decision is a major boost for Akhilesh. A party symbol, especially one such as the 'cycle' which has been SP's symbol right since it first contested elections 25 years ago, has tremendous significance and can also play a crucial role in the poll outcome.

The EC's decision will also be a big relief for the Congress party which is in talks with the Akhilesh camp for forging an alliance. It was senior Congress leader and lawyer Kapil Sibal who represented Akhilesh before EC, which heard both the sides out on Friday.

The 'cycle' symbol dates back to the early 1990s when Mulayam was building SP up from the grassroots.