Congress part of alliance, says Akhilesh

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has said the Congress is part of the opposition alliance that his party has stitched in Uttar Pradesh against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition for the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

“The SP and BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) are in alliance. Other parties are also part of the alliance. These parties have been allocated seats in the alliance.

› The SP and BSP are in alliance. We have kept the Cong in the alliance. They have been given two seats AKHILESH YADAV, Samajwadi Party president

The SP and the BSP have kept them (the Congress) in the alliance. They have been given two seats,” Akhilesh said at a press conference in Lucknow on Tuesday.

This is not the first time that Akhilesh has talked about alliance with the Congress for the Lok Sabha elections.

On Monday, he had said the Congress was very much part of the alliance’s consideration.

His remark came in the backdrop of a roadshow organised by the Congress on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s first visit to the state after her appointment as the party general secretary in-charge of eastern UP.

Akhilesh said, “The SP’s alliance is not only with the BSP but the Congress is also a part of it.” He went on to include the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which he said, has been given three seats in the Lok Sabha polls, the Nishad Party and the Peace Party in the alliance.

He said the alliance will have different seat sharing formulae for the Lok Sabha and the next UP assembly elections.

He emphasised “the sacrifice” made by both the SP and the BSP for the Lok Sabha polls.

“The SP and BSP sacrificed 40 seats each in Uttar Pradesh,” Akhilesh said.