Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar today said that his party will contest the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and in an alliance with the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party. Suggesting that the winds were blowing against the Yogi Adityanath government in the state, Pawar claimed that 13 BJP MLAs will join SP in the coming days. Today, BJP minister Swami Prasad Maurya resigned from the cabinet and joined the SP. It is being reported that many other MLAs close to Maurya may also join the SP.
“We are in talks with Congress and Trinamool Congress for an alliance for Goa Assembly elections…In Uttar Pradesh, we are going to contest elections with Samajwadi Party and other smaller parties,” said Sharad Pawar.
Pawar also said that the change that the people of Uttar Pradesh are looking for will come after the polls. He also accused the ruling BJP of polarizing the elections on communal grounds. “Communal polarization is being done in Uttar Pradesh, ahead of Assembly elections. The people of Uttar Pradesh will give a befitting reply to this,” claimed Pawar.
After Maurya joined the SP, Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya advised his ex-colleague to reconsider his decision and not act in haste. “I don’t know for what reason hon’ble Swami Prasad Maurya ji has resigned. I appeal to him to sit and talk, hasty decisions often prove to be wrong,” he said.
Uttar Pradesh is likely to see a direct fight between the ruling BJP and the Samajwadi Party when it goes to polls in a month from now. While the BJP has joined hands with the Nishad Party and Apna Dal, the Samajwadi Party has joined hands with smaller parties like Rashtriya Lok Dal, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, Janwadi Socialist Party and Mahan Dal. Congress and BSP have announced to contest all 403 assembly seats in the state on their own.
Financial Express is now on Telegram. 
