Samajwadi President Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday moved to resolve the bitter dispute within the party has broken out since he appointed his brother Shivpal Yadav its Uttar Pradesh unit head by replacing his son and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. Mulayam Singh Yadav has called for a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board on Friday to deliberate on how the situation can be salvaged, The Times of India reported.

Earlier in the day, Shivpal Yadav had met Mulayam Singh Yadav, but reportedly refused to continue his work in Akhilesh Yadav’s Cabinet unless he got his ministerial posts back. The chief minister had stripped him of the portfolios after the UP party chief appointment was announced. During the four-hour meeting, Shivpal Yadav also believed to have told Mulayam Singh Yadav that he has always toed the party president’s line despite having differences with him, The Indian Express reported. After the meeting, however, Shivpal Yadav told reporters, "Neither am I angry nor is Netaji [Mulayam]. We all are happy…there are no differences."

According to The Hindu, Mulayam Singh Yadav is now considering appointing Akhilesh Yadav “National Working President”, though there has been no official confirmation on this. Akhilesh Yadav, on his part, maintained a cool front on Wednesday, formally launching his campaign for the upcoming state Assembly elections and insisting there was no fight within the family.

The party and the Yadav family have not revealed too many details since the feud broke out, leaving much to speculation. While all three of the Yadavs have publicly maintained that there is no real dispute, political circles are abuzz with rumours on the power politics at play.