As the newly-elected MLAs from the Samajwadi Party gathered in Lucknow to pick the chief minister, the outcome seemed decided. Akhilesh, the son of party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, seems to be the popular choice. Over the last few days, Mulayam has succeeded in winning over those who worried Akhilesh, at 38, could be too young to run a state as large and complex as Uttar Pradesh.
