The Samajwadi Party on Thursday ruled out a partnership with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections but asserted a tie-up with the Congress.
SP, Congress and some other parties have been in talks to forge a Bihar-style “grand secular alliance” to defeat the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in politically crucial UP elections.
"We will forge an alliance only with the Congress. We will not ally with the RLD. No talks are going on with them (RLD). We will contest from over 300 seats (out of 403) and the Congress will be there for the rest of them," SP national vice-president Kironmoy Nanda told PTI.
As regards finalisation of candidates, he said, "SP has finalised its candidates for the first and second phases (of the upcoming polls). Now, it is up to the Congress to decide on their nominees."
Nanda said the details of the seats would be announced by SP national president Akhilesh Yadav.
"After the alliance with the Congress, we will get an absolute majority in the state and Akhilesh will become chief minister again," Nanda asserted, adding that the SP will release its poll manifesto soon.
The decisions regarding forging an alliance and seats were taken at a marathon six-hour meeting held by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav with senior SP leaders today.
Talking to India TV on Wednesday, Nanda had confirmed that the seat sharing formula did not work out with the RLD and only Congress and SP would be part of the alliance.
Talks with the RLD, sources said, failed as it wanted more seats but the SP was not ready to oblige.
"We wanted the seats of our choice but there was no agreement on it," RLD spokesman Anil Dubey later said.
RLD sources said that Akhilesh Yadav camp was willing to form an alliance before it had secured THE “cycle” symbol but after seizing control over the party and its traditional symbol, the attitude changed.
It added that the issue was not the number of seats but where those seats were being given as the seats in Eastern UP would not be of any use to it since it does not have any traditional votes in the region.
As per RLD sources, SP General Secretary Ram Gopal Yadav was against a tie-up with the RLD fearing alienation of Muslim votes in the Western UP in the light of Jat-Muslim riots in Muzaffarnagar in 2013.
Jats are traditional voters of RLD.
SP sources also confirmed this fear saying Muslims in Western UP could go with the Mayawati-led BSP in case an alliance with the RLD.
As per the reports, a faction of Apna Dal, JD(U), NCP and even the Trinamool Congress are coming also coming on board to build a Bihar-style grand alliance to defeat BJP in Uttar Pradesh.
Seven-phased UP Assembly polls for 403 constituencies will be held on February 11, 15, 19, 23, 27, March 4 and 8.
