Agra, Oct. 5 (Agencies): Akhilesh Yadav was on Thursday unanimously re-elected the Samajwadi Party's national president for an extended term of five years, as he consolidated his grip over the party founded by his now-sidelined father Mulayam.

Ram Gopal Yadav, a senior leader, announced the re-election of Akhilesh, 44, at the party’s national convention here.

The party's constitution was amended to extend the tenure of the party chief to five years from the existing three years.

The five-year term will ensure that Akhilesh, who was Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister from 2012 to 2017, is at the helm for the Lok Sabha elections due in 2019 and the state Assembly elections in 2022.

Both Mulayam, 77, and and his brother Shivpal stayed away from Thursday’s event, just as they had from the September 23 meeting of the state executive in Lucknow.

Mulayam and Shivpal had been sidelined in the run-up to the assembly elections after Akhilesh got himself elected party chief on January 1.

Akhilesh said he had invited Mulayam personally.

“I requested 'netaji' (Mulayam) to attend the convention. Everyone would have liked it (his presence), Akhilesh said.

Akhilesh said Mulayam “has given blessings to all of us” over phone and wished that the party is strengthened in UP and throughout the country.

For the Samajwadis, the first taste of the public mood since their rout earlier this year will come from the Lok Sabha by-elections due in Gorakhpur and Phulpur—the seats vacated by Yogi Adityanath and Keshav Prasad Maurya when they stepped down from national politics to run the state after the BJP’s victory.

Akhilesh has already said if results of the elections were in “our favour, it will give a message not only for 2019 (Lok Sabha polls), but also for 2022 (assembly polls).