SP fields 11on Cong-held seats, ‘alliance’ in trouble

Tribune News Service

Lucknow/new delhi, Jan 20

Yet to finalise an alliance with the Congress, the ruling Samajwadi Party today released its list of 209 candidates, fielding candidates on 11 of the 29 Congress-held seats, including Mathura, which is represented by Congress Legislature Party leader Pradeep Mathur. 

Among the prominent nominees are CM Akhilesh Yadav’s estranged uncle Shivpal Yadav, peace-broker Mohammad Azam Khan, his son Abdullah Azam and Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Agarwal’s son Nitin. 

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Also, the party named candidates for seven seats held by the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). This is not likely to go down well with the latter.

Blaming the Congress for “not giving a positive response”, national vice-president Kironmoy Nanda went back on his party’s stand that 100 seats would be left for the Congress, which was then free to reach an arrangement with the RLD on these seats.

Rubbing salt into the Congress wounds, he said the SP was willing to give 85 seats even though, based on the Congress’ 2012 performance, it should have been allotted only 54. Nanda made it clear that the SP was in no mood to spare the Assembly seats in the Rae Bareli and Amethi parliamentary constituencies represented by AICC chief Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi, respectively. 

Most of these seats were won by the SP in 2012.  Going a step further, minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya said the SP was capable of winning the Assembly elections on its own.

Playing down the differences, Congress state chief Raj Babbar claimed that talks were still on. Babbar, who arrived in Lucknow this afternoon, was immediately summoned to the national capital.

In New Delhi, terming the SP’s unilateral declaration of seats “unfortunate”, Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken said, “We will let you know whether the alliance is on or not only after our party in-charge for UP speaks to SP national president Akhilesh Yadav.” 

On whether the people of Uttar Pradesh would support the alliance in the light of the Yadav family feud, he replied: “The truth is the alliance was finalised with Akhilesh. We are again getting in touch with him.” 

Meanwhile, questions are being raised on whether the SP was employing pressure tactics to cut down Congress’ seat share. Sources indicated that an understanding had earlier been reached on 120 seats, including 52 where the Congress was second in the 2012 elections. “The SP is attempting a scale-down by unilaterally announcing candidates,” a Congress leader claimed.

A large number of Congress cadres from UP have descended on the party headquarters here. Some say  the Congress will be finished in Uttar Pradesh, if it contests along with the Samajwadi Party.  “The SP has finished whoever it has allied with, starting with Ajit Singh's RLD. We must go it alone,” said Pramod Dwivedi, a local leader.