Mulayam Singh Yadav resigns

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday resigned in the wake of reversals in the assembly elections but attacked the Election Commission for what he alleged hurting the prospects of his party.

"I have resigned in deference to the mandate of the electorate," Yadav told reporters after submitting his resignation to state governor T V Rajeswar.

The governor, however, asked Yadav to continue till the new government takes oath of office and secrecy.

A visibly dejected Yadav blamed the Election Commission for "overstepping its brief and violating the constitutional provisions".

"The Commission harmed the prospects of our party to a great extent...our voters were chased away by security forces while they coaxed some others to cast their votes.

"The EC was fighting a battle with the Samajwadi Party," Yadav alleged and appealed to all political parties to "sit together and evolve a consensus to ensure that the Commission does not transgress its limits," he said.

Yadav claimed the results of the Assembly elections have proved that there were only two parties in the state --the SP and the BSP.

"The Congress has been wiped out from the state," he said.

On BJP's praise on the Election Commission for ensuring free and fair polls, Yadav said, "Now it (BJP) also must have got the taste of the Commission's fairness."

When reminded that Mayawati had threatened to send him to jail, Yadav shot back by saying that this question should be asked from Mayawati.

"I have nothing to say...ask Mayawati about it," he quipped.