Rahul needs Akhilesh''s cycle to save his political career: BJP

New Delhi, January 2

The Bharatiya Janata Party ridiculed an alliance between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party on Monday by saying that the grand old party was using Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s “cycle carrier” to save vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s political career.   

"This (the alliance) shows that Rahul Gandhi needs Akhilesh's cycle carrier to save his political career, while junior Yadav (UP CM Akhilesh Yadav) knows that his misrule of five years will haunt him in these elections," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters here.

The two parties finally agreed to fight next month’s assembly elections together after talks almost fell apart.

The ruling SP will contest elections from 298 of 403 seats. The Congress has been given the rest.

BJP, which had won 71 out of 80 seats in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, has been pulling out all stops to capture power in UP, which in terms of political implications is more important than all other poll-bound states of Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur.

The saffron party has already announced 304 candidates for the elections.

The assembly elections for Uttar Pradesh will take place in seven phases: February 11, 15, 19, 23, 27, March 4 and 8. — PTI