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Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav will stake on Wednesday his claim to form the next government in Uttar Pradesh.
Disclosing this at a press conference in the state capital, Mulayam Singh said, "I am awaiting the formal notification by the Election Commission about the conclusion of the election process."
Earlier, on arrival in Lucknow, Mulayam Singh went straight to the party's state headquarters where the newly elected legislators unanimously elected him their leader.
He said, "I am hopeful that the notification will come by this evening or tomorrow, following which I will go to the governor with my claim."
The Samajwadi Party president saw no reason why the governor should not give him a chance to form the government. "After all," he argued, "the Samajwadi Party had emerged as the largest single political outfit in this election."
"I will prove my majority on the floor of the House," he added, insisting that a head count could only be done in the assembly. Even the Supreme Court, he noted, had said so.
He cited the example of the 13-day Atal Bihari Vajpayee government to strengthen his claim. "Mr Vajpayee too was invited by the President to form his first government solely on the basis of being the leader of the largest single party," he recalled.
When a reporter reminded him of the short-lived tenure of that government, Mulayam Singh retorted, "I will not only prove my majority, but also provide a long-lasting and stable government."
Asked if he was counting on the support of some 'like-minded' parties, he said, "Well, so far we have not spoken to anyone, but I am sure all secular parties will pool in to save the state from communal forces."
EARLIER REPORT: Mulayam will stake claim on Tuesday: Surjeet
