Samajwadi Party crisis in UP: 5 things about 'Professor Saab' Ram Gopal Yadav

Ram Gopal Yadav is SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's cousin, who has strongly rallied behind his nephew Akhilesh Yadav in the current crisis that has engulfed the party.

Ram Gopal Yadav, 70, is not a mass leader but is one of the power centres in the party and UP government. It is said that Mulayam Singh consults him on every big decision.

Known in party circles as Professor Saab, Ram Gopal Yadav is a teacher by profession who is a Rajya Sabha member on SP ticket.

Ram Gopal Yadav is also the spokesperson and National secretary of the party in UP. While Ram Gopal is close to UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, Mulayam's brother Shivpal Singh Yadav's relation with his nephew his not good. Ram Gopal Yadav recently said that Akhilesh shouldn't have been removed as state party chief.

Ram Gopal heads a team of 19 MPs, the third largest group in the Rajya Sabha after BJP and Congress. While Mulayam has kept Shivpal to state politics, he has preferred Ram Gopal on the national scene.

Get the latest on the SP crisis in UP:

Read More: Samajwadi family tiff: Ram Gopal Yadav 'blames' Amar Singh for damaging party

Read More: Uttar Pradesh: Shivpal Yadav resigns from cabinet and party posts; Akhilesh rejects it

Also Read: Mulayam Singh Yadav rejects brother Shivpal Singh's resignation amid high drama