The talks of alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress are likely to revive after the Election Commission’s decision on the former’s party symbol ‘cycle’ today.
According IANS sources, the alliance talks were ‘happening’ but had temporarily stalled due to the internal divide within the Samajwadi Party.
"The alliance will most likely happen. The talks are on. It will revive after the Election Commission hearing on their (SP) symbol on January 13. The talks are going on with Akhilesh Yadav," a Congress leader said on terms on anonymity.
While SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav has not been supporting the idea of an alliance with any party, his son and CM Akhilesh Yadav is keen on joining hands with the Congress. He had even predicted that a Samajwadi-Congress combine can win over 300 seats.
The Chief Minister had held preliminary discussions with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi in December, in which both sides showed their willingness to align ahead of the polls. But the ongoing infighting within the UP’s first family delayed the declaration of pact.
Former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit, now the Congress’ chief ministerial candidate in UP, had too favoured a pre-poll alliance with the Samajwadi Party led by Akhilesh, and that she was ready to step aside as CM nominee.
Earlier, India TV had reported that the seat sharing issue between both the parties had been almost finalised and an announcement was likely anytime. At that time, it was said that the Samajawadi Party had agreed to offer the Congress 110 of the total 403 assembly seats. The Samajwadi Party now holds 229 seats, the principal opposition Bahujan Samaj Party has 80 while the Congress has 29 legislators.
Also the leaders of both the parties feel that the alliance will be beneficial for the ruling party and Congress, which is political wilderness from last 27 years in the state, to halt BJP's march.
Uttar Pradesh -- the country's most populous and politically significant state -- will go to elect its 403-member state assembly in seven phases: February 11 (73 seats), February 15 (67 seats), February 19 (69 seats), February 23 (53 seats), February 27 (52 seats), March 4 (49 seats) and March 8 (40 seats). Results will be declared on March 11.
