Samajwadi Party’s emerging leader Mr Akhilesh Yadav, son of the party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, declared he was not in the race for the Chief Minister’s post in UP.

Speaking to a national news channel in Lucknow after the results were declared, he said his father deserved to be the CM. “Netaji should take the responsibility,” he said referring to his father Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Claiming he was not solely responsible for the victorious show of the party in the elections, Akhilesh said all senior leaders had struggled to strengthen it after the poor show in 2007 elections when the SP got only 97 seats.

Yadav junior refused to comment on the leadership of the congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi but didn’t mince his words to attack the administration of BSP leader Mayawathi. (J)