Samajwadi Party calls off merger with Mukhtar Ansari's QED

After much furore over the Samajwadi Party's merger with gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's Quami Ekta Dal (QED), the ruling party called off the merger on 25 June.

The UP government refused to cite any specific reason for the decision.

Earlier in the day, CM Akhilesh Yadav expressed his resentment over the merger. "Mukhtar Ansari will not be welcome in the party. We don't want such people in the party," the UP CM said.

Yadav's displeasure over the merger was evident soon after the development on 21 June. Hours after the merger, the CM sacked the Secondary Education Minister Balram Yadav apparently for facilitating the merger. However, according to reports, Yadav was reinstated on 25 June after the merger was called off.

The decision to call off the merger came as a surprise. Speculation is rife that all is not well within the party. According to our sources, Akhilesh Yadav and senior SP leader and his uncle Shivpal Yadav are not on good terms, especially after the Mathura violence incident.

-With inputs from PTI