Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav reached Raj Bhawan in Lucknow to meet Governor Ram Naik. The reason behind the meeting is not known but Raj Bhawan sources told PTI that the chief minister briefed the governor on the prevailing political situation in the state.

Akhilesh paid a sudden visit to the Raj Bhawan when he was in the middle of a meeting with party legislators and seniors to finalise details of his proposed ‘rath yatra’ from November 3.

The sudden visit caught everyone by surprise, though some said an appointment had been sought in advance. The meeting assumes significance in the wake of a widening rift within the ruling Samajwadi Party. Akhilesh has had differences chiefly with Shivpal Yadav, his uncle and brother of party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. Shivpal, who used to be a cabinet minister in the state government, was sacked by the chief minister recently.

SP sources said the visit might have been in connection with the four vacancies in the ministry after Akhilesh sacked his uncle Shivpal Yadav, Om Prakash Singh, Narad Rai and Sayeda Shadaab Fatima in a sudden move on Sunday, plunging the party into a deeper chaos.

Earlier in the day, Shivpal, who is also the state SP chief, expelled Tejnarain Pandey alias Pawan Pandey and wrote to the chief minister requesting that he be sacked from the ministry. Pandey is a junior minister in the Akhilesh government.