LUCKNOW (TIP): Akhilesh Yadav was on Oct 5 unanimously re-elected as the Samajwadi Party’s national president for a five-year term at the national convention in Agra, further consolidating his grip over the party.

Interestingly, the party’s constitution has been amended to extend the tenure of the national president from the exiting three years to five years.

Clearly this has been done to ensure that Akhilesh remains at the helm of affairs not only during the general elections of 2019, but also in the next Vidhan Sabha elections in 2022.

While Akhilesh’s grip over the party has firmed up, the same cannot be said about his succeeding to iron out differences within the family.

By choosing to stay away from the national convention, father and chief patron Mulayam Singh Yadav as well as uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav have reiterated that all is still not well within the family.

Putting up a façade, Akhilesh, however, said his father had blessed him through a telephonic call.

The announcement of Akhilesh’s re-election was made by senior party leader Ram Gopal Yadav.

Most of the leaders who had come out in support of Akhilesh during the January 1 coup in the party replacing Akhilesh with Mulayam were in attendance at the national convention. Mohd Azam Khan who had attempted to bring the feuding father and son together was also on the dais.

Kannauj MP and wife Dimple Yadav was spotted in the first row along with Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan.