Samajwadi Party, Congress make alliance official; 'we will set an example'

"We will contest on all 403 seats. While Samajwadi party will field candidates on 298 seats, Congress will contest on 105 seats,"said SP leader Naresh Uttam Patel.

Ending all their differences over seat sharing, the Samajwadi Party and Congress on Sunday sealed their alliance for the Uttar Pradesh polls. A formal announcement in this regard was made at a joint-press conference, addressed by Congress UP chief Raj Babbar and SP leader Naresh Uttam Patel. After days of tussle, the ruling SP decided to allot 105 seats to the Congress, keeping rest for itself.

“For unity and integrity of India and following secular ideology, we will continue our fight under SP National president Akhilesh Yadav,” said Naresh Uttam. “The country’s secular fabric will become stronger when Akhilesh Yadav becomes the chief minister again,” he added.

“We will contest on all 403 seats. while Samajwadi party will field candidates on 298 seats, Congress will contest on 105 seats,” said the SP leader. He also said the idea behind the alliance was to “uproot communal BJP” and make UP a leading state by removing both BJP and Mayawati’s BSP.

Expressing hope for good show in the polls, Raj Babbar said the alliance will strive hard for upliftment of poor and development of state. “We hope to win the confidence of people of Uttar Pradesh. If voted to power, the alliance will work to strengthen the law and order situation in the state. I am sure that the alliance will set an example. We will strive hard for upliftment of poor and development of state,” said Babbar.

The PCC chief said Congress has accepted SP’s offer of 105 seats keeping in mind the prevailing situation in the country and also the atmosophere in the state. “Keeping these factors in mind, Congress leadership agreed to strike an alliance to thwart BJP’s divisive politics and at the same time to boost secularism and promote communal and social harmony.

“Our ideologies are not different. We share many common ideologies,” he said, adding both the parties believed in social justice and development, peace and good atmosphere. He said the alliance between the two youth leaders — Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi — will ensure that politcs transcends narrow boundaries of caste and religion.

He also said BJP had created hardships for the people with its note ban decision. “Now people have an opportunity to teach BJP a lesson,” he said.

When asked to comment on Congress’ slogan “27 saal, UP behaal” Raj Babbar said, “Now UP will embark on the rapid path of progress and there will be no ‘badhali’ (in a bad state).”

He said a Common Minimum Programme will be drafted within a week.

Talks between top Congress and SP leaders had been going on for the last several days for but an announcement got delayed as the two parties refused to scale down their demand for the number of seats each would contest.

Earlier in the day, the Samajwadi party released its manifesto and promised a host of schemes for all round development of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.