With Assembly elections round the corner in Uttar Pradesh, the alliance talks between the Congress and ruling Samajwadi Party has brightened.
According to news agency IANS, a senior state unit party leader has confirmed that the seat sharing issue between both the parties have almost come to settlement.
"Serious talks are going on between Samajwadi Party and Congress for an alliance. Seat sharing has been discussed and both parties have almost come to a settlement on the issue," the leader told IANS on terms of anonymity.
The leader 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.
He also said that the alliance will be beneficial for the two parties and will halt BJP's march.
Speculations about a possible alliance were rife after Congress poll strategist Prashant Kishor met Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Akhilesh Yadav had on December 2 said that a Samajwadi-Congress combine can win over 300 seats in Uttar Pradesh.
He also asserted that his party would not perceive the Congress as a "junior partner" in an alliance.
While the Samajwadi Party is looking to get another term, the Congress wants to be the kingmaker this time. The grand old party had secured just two seats in the last Lok Sabha elections with party chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi emerging victorious from their traditional seats of Rae Bareli and Amethi, respectively.
The Congress is in political wilderness in Uttar Pradesh since 1989 following emergence of divisive ‘Mandal-Mandir’ politics and rise of the BSP, which took away its crucial Dalit vote base.
