Lucknow: As the war in the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) continued, Chief Minister of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday triggered speculation in the political circles by suddenly meeting Governor Ram Naik, hours after one more leader considered close to him was expelled from the party.

While the meeting between Akhilesh and Naik was officially described as a courtesy call, sources at the Governor’s House said the prevailing political situation in the state did figure in the 15-minute interaction.

“It was a courtesy call. The chief minister called on the governor to wish him ahead of the Diwali festival as Naik will be out of station during the festival,” an official spokesman told PTI.

The Governor’s House officially described the meeting as a “courtesy call”.

It was a one-on-one meeting without any aides.

Though officials maintained that an appointment had been sought in advance, the sudden meeting triggered speculation in the political circles.

Akhilesh abruptly left a meeting he was holding with party legislators and senior leaders to finalise the details of his proposed ‘rath yatra’ (chariot tour) from November 3, which led to spread of the word in the political circles that the call-on could have been in the context of the prevailing political situation in the state.

Sources said the governor had asked the chief minister to apprise him of the latest political situation in the state considering the deep divisions in the ruling party.

Reports were doing the rounds that the governor had sought a list of MLAs to convince himself that Akhilesh still enjoyed a majority in the Assembly. However, sources said neither the governor had sought any such list nor any such document was handed over to him by Akhilesh.

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 crisis.

Earlier in the day, Shivpal, who is the state SP chief, expelled Tejnarain Pandey, alias Pawan Pandey, who is considered close to Akhilesh Yadav, for six years for “indiscipline”.

Shivpal also wrote to the chief minister requesting that he be sacked from the ministry. Pandey is a junior minister in the Akhilesh government.

Pandey had clashed and allegedly beaten up SP MLC Ashu Malik, whom Akhilesh had accused of planting stories in the media against him.

“Pawan Pandey is being expelled from Samajwadi Party for six years on charges of indiscipline,” Shivpal announced at a press conference on Wednesday morning.

Shivpal, who is at loggerheads with Akhilesh, said he has written a letter to the chief minister requesting him to sack Pandey from his ministry.

Replying to questions, he maintained there was “no dispute” in the Samajwadi Party and the Mulayam family.

Pandey termed the charges levelled against him as “false” and “part of a conspiracy”.

“I might have been expelled from the party through a piece of paper but SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will always remain in my heart. I have no regrets over the expulsion,” he told reporters.

“Ashu Malik has cited in the police complaint that he was beaten up outside the CM’s residence. CCTV cameras are installed all over the place and the media was also present there on that day. If the footage is checked, the reality will come to light,” he added.

Malik had alleged that he was slapped by Pandey at the chief minister’s residence.

“Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had called me to clarify things related to a news article published in an English daily wherein Akhilesh Yadav was referred to as Aurangzeb and SP Chief Mulayam Singh as Shahjahan,” Malik had said.

“When I was at the CM’s residence, party leader Pawan Pandey came and attacked me. He slapped me twice,” he had said, adding that Akhilesh was not present at his residence when the incident took place.

Malik had lodged a written complaint against Pandey accusing him of attacking him, but no FIR has been registered in the matter so far.

Shivpal’s latest move to expel Pandey, who is close to Akhilesh, comes a day after the SP chief sought to project an ‘all is well’ image.

“My family and party are united. All workers are united. There are some conspirators who do not have any mass base,” Mulayam had said on Tuesday, adding, “There is no ‘matbhed’ (difference) or ‘manbhed’ (ill feelings) among our leaders.”

Before proceeding to the Governor’s House, Akhilesh held a meeting with his youth supporters and party workers where he asked them to transcend differences and gear up for his ‘rath yatra’ scheduled from November 3 and also for SP’s silver jubilee celebrations in the state capital on November 5.

“You all should highlight the works done by the SP government since 2012. We have to seek votes in the name of development which topped our government’s agenda,” he told them.