No grand alliance in UP? SP rules out tie-up with RLD, to ally only with Congress

LUCKNOW: Hopes of a 'maha gathbandhan' against the BJP in Uttar Pradesh were dashed on Thursday with the Samajwadi Party ruling out any alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), but asserting a tie-up with the Congress+ .

"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 said.

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.

Source:-Timesofindia

It's official: Samajwadi Party to field 298 candidates, Congress 105 in alliance for Uttar Pradesh polls

NEW DELHI: The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress today confirmed they will contest the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls together.

The Samajwadi Party will field 298 candidates, and the Congress 105, the SP's Uttar Pradesh chief Naresh Uttam said at a joint conference in Lucknow.

"For the unity and integrity of India, and following a secular ideology, we will continue our fight under SP National president (and Uttar Pradesh chief minister) Akhilesh Yadav," Naresh Uttam said.

"The country's secular fabric will become stronger when Akhilesh Yadav becomes the chief minister again," he added.

Uttam said the idea was to "uproot" the "communal" BJP, and make Uttar Pradesh a leading state by removing both the BJP and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party.

Congress Uttar Pradesh unit chief Raj Babbar said his party accepted the SP's offer of 105 seats keeping in mind the prevailing situation in the country, and the atmosphere in Uttar Pradesh.

He explained that the two parties had forged an alliance to thwart the BJP's "divisive politics, and at the same time to boost secularism and promote communal and social harmony."

Source:-TOI