UP Polls: Akhilesh Yadav Releases Samajwadi Party’s Election Manifesto

“We have cleared seats for first and second phase”.

403 Assembly seats in UP go to the polls starting February 11. He returned to Delhi in the evening without holding talks with Mr Yadav. Akhilesh had launched it back in October 2016. The SP was ready to offer only 99 seats to the Congress. The Congress will be allotted 105 seats in the upcoming elections. “The scale of the BJP victory will only rise, as the party is unstoppable with demography driving politics in the region”, said a Union minister in the Narendra Modi Cabinet and senior BJP leader.

The statements are being seen as an indication that the SP leadership was not very keen to tie up with the Congress though initially the first step was taken by it only. “After that, we will announce our candidates”, said a Congress leader. It’s unfortunate that seats of nine sitting MLAs are taken away. any agreement should be honoured, ‘ he added. His easy rapport with Congress boss Rahul Gandhi is also well-established.

Meanwhile, Akhilesh also called up Mulayam to inquire about the same.

Senior Congress leaders, including Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel, were in a huddle at the residence of Mrs Gandhi, and UPCC president Raj Babbar was rushed to Lucknow in the afternoon.

“The alliance may not be possible now for the Congress remains adamant on 120 seats”, SP leader Naresh Agrawal said.

Samajwadi Party is set to launch their manifesto shortly. “In addition to this the party is also willing to spare yet another 20 odd seats to Congress”. Both stand to lose if the alliance does not come about; the Congress more so than the SP.

The Chief Minister has for months dispensed the argument that together, the parties can win 300 seats.

In Lucknow, Samajwadi Party vice president Kironmoy Nanda said negotiations with the Congress on seat-sharing had “failed”.

Even as Akhilesh Yadav addressed the crowd SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh’s uncle Shivpal Yadav reportedly gave the event a miss for reasons not known as yet.