Lucknow, Jan 27 (ANI): The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Wednesday appointed senior party leader Mohan Singh as the new general secretary of the party in place of Amar Singh, who had recently quit all party posts over differences with relatives of SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The party also made Mohan Singh, a member of SP’s Parliamentary Board, a post earlier held by Amar Singh.

Addressing the media, SP General Secretary Ramgopal Yadav said, Vishambhar Prasad Nishad and Ramasare Kushwaha would hold the post of general secretaries.

Senior SP leader and Rajya Sabha member Brijbhushan Tiwari has been made the party’s vice president. The post was lying vacant after the sudden demise Janeshwar Mishra last week.

Kerala leader Joe Antony has been included in the party’s Parliamentary Board.

Amar Singh’s replacement by the party is seen as a signal that the SP wants to move on with leaders, who have in the past stood by the party and respected its rules.

The newly appointed Mohan Singh has been a Mulayam loyalist for several decades and has a good support in Eastern Uttar Pradesh.

The trouble between Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh began last year. Amar Singh was upset that the other party leaders had questioned the candidature of actor Jaya Prada from Rampur seat in the last Lok Sabha elections, and that he did not get the support of Yadav that time.

The rift further grew, when Mulayam’s daughter-in-law, Dimple, lost the by-election to the Firozabad seat at the hands of Congress candidate actor Raj Babbar. The seat was earlier won by Mulayam’s son Akhilesh, but he was selected to represent Kannauj seat. Amar Singh had then blamed the over-confidence of Mulayam Singh’s family for the loss.

On the other hand, Mulayam’s son Akhilesh Yadav had put the blame on Amar Singh for the loss.

However, despite Amar Singh’s loyalist actor Sanjay Dutt quitting from the party, Jaya Bachchan and Jaya Prada both MPs and considered close to Amar Singh have not indicated whether they too would quit. (ANI)