A day after uncertainly over the alliance between the Congress and Samajwadi Party for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, two parties on Sunday sealed the seat sharing formula, sources said today.
Sources said that Congress will get 105 seats, six more that the 99 seats Akhilesh Yadav had offered to its junior partner. The INC had demanded 110 of 403 seats.
This comes a day after Congress president Sonia Gandhi intervened to resolve the matter and called up Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
The prospect of the alliance dimmed when SP refused to budge from its offer of around 99 of 403 seats which the Congress rejected saying it would not agree at anything below 110.
Earlier on Saturday, talking about the alliance, senior SP leader Naresh Agrawal said, "The alliance is almost over. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister (Akhilesh Yadav) was offering Congress 100 seats but they were not agreeing to anything less than 120 seats."
"We told them we can't fight in less than 300 seats but the Congress was adamant as if they are a very influential party in the state," he added.
Congress General Secretary in charge of UP Ghulam Nabi Azad had said: "You'll get to know everything by tomorrow (Sunday) morning."
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too are reported to be working on "some possibilities".
The Gandhi family scion is said to be furious at the "slight and disrespect" shown to the Congress by the SP leadership.
Some reports suggested that Akhilesh Yadav was miffed after the Congress had sent political lightweights to discuss the seat sharing, a charge denied by the Congress.
“Wrong to suggest lightweights were dealing on behalf of Congress party. Discussion was at highest level- b/w CM (UP), GS I/C & Priyanka Gandhi,” Ahmed Patel, political advisor to Sonia Gandhi tweeted today.
