SP-Cong alliance for civic polls? Local leaders not in favour

LUCKNOW: Having yet to recover from a drubbing in assembly elections, the local leadership of Samajwadi Party and the Congress are not willing to go for an alliance in the civic polls scheduled in June.

“The experience of contesting jointly was not a good one and so the local level workers of both the parties are not ready to work together for the civic polls,” admitted a Congress leader.

Sources said Congress corporators, district presidents, city presidents and other office-bearers have officially opposed the idea of any sort of alliance at local level during civic polls.

“They feel the results could even be worse if the two parties tie-up like they did for assembly polls,” said a Congress veteran.

Samajwadi Party corporators, district unit heads and secretaries are also against the alliance with Congress for civic polls despite pressure from the high command, which reportedly, wants the alliance to continue in the state.

Interestingly, the top leaders of both the parties are not speaking against each other on record but at a personal level they don’t shy away from blaming each other for the assembly poll debacle.

SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said the party was yet to a final call on an alliance. “The party has not announced alliance for civic polls yet. Opinion of local leaders has been taken and the final decision will be announced by party president Akhilesh Yadav soon,” said Chaudhary. State Congress spokesperson Satyadev Tripathi said, “Presently, there is no alliance for civic polls but the final decision would be taken by the high command after the meeting of top leaders of both the parties.” Local level leaders, who are in race to contest civic polls, meanwhile, said they were ready to go alone.

We will follow the directives of party high command but the SP workers in general are not in favour of an alliance with Congress in civic polls

SAYYED YAWAR HUSSAIN RESHU , SP corporator from JC Bose ward