LUCKNOW:
Samajwadi Party says it is yet to begin talks with Congress for putting together a grand-alliance in
Uttar Pradesh before next year's
Lok Sabha elections. Instead, the party says that it is essentially looking to form an alliance with BSP, RLD and other smaller parties.
"Congress is yet to figure in alliance talks," Udaiveer Singh, SP MLC and a close aide of party chief
Akhilesh Yadav, told TOI on Monday. He, however, said, "As a tradition, SP has not fielded any candidates against
Rahul Gandhi in Amethi and
Sonia Gandhi in Rae Bareli so far. There is no reason why we will break this tradition."
Singh played a key role in the recent bypolls where a united opposition defeated BJP at its hustings.
SP is reportedly sceptical of forging an alliance with Congress after the 2017 UP assembly poll debacle. The party feels that it couldn't gain from the alliance with Congress in the assembly poll, SP insiders said. SP gave 110 seats to Congress, of which it could win only seven. Hence, the SP leadership was treading cautiously for a tie-up with Congress for 2019, the sources added. SP patriarch
Mulayam Singh Yadav had blamed Congress for his party's poor performance in the poll.
SP leaders had skipped the Iftar party hosted by Congress in New Delhi last week. The SP leadership is reportedly uncomfortable with the show of bonhomie between Sonia Gandhi and Mayawati.
Senior leaders said SP was not looking for a tie-up with Congress in MP as well, where assembly polls are due later this year. At a meeting with MP leaders earlier this month, Akhilesh said the party would go it alone. The people of MP are angry with BJP, but aren't not happy with Congress either, he said.
