BackUP election: Congress, Samajwadi Party poised to announce alliance
Analysts believe the alliance for the Uttar Pradesh elections will improve the prospects of the Congress and the Samajwadi Party
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New Delhi: More than six months after it launched a full-fledged solo campaign in Uttar Pradesh, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi-led Congress is poised to announce an alliance with chief minister Akhilesh Yadav-led faction of Samajwadi Party (SP).
Though a flip-flop, analysts believe the alliance will improve the prospects of the Congress and the Samajwadi Party. At the same time, it is a tacit recognition of India’s oldest party being forced to accept a lesser role to a strong regional party, like it did in Bihar.
According to senior leaders from both parties, the alliance is “final" and talks are on to finalize the seat-sharing. Leaders add that “political compulsions" have led to their decision to jointly contest the polls.
“The alliance is almost done. Irrespective of what the EC says on Samajwadi Party’s poll symbol, we will have a joint campaign and contest together, symbol does not matter," a senior Congress leader involved in the seat-sharing talks said, seeking anonymity.
Congress has been out of power in Uttar Pradesh for 27 years and the last time it secured a double-digit vote share in the state was in the 1993 assembly election.
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