Lucknow:The ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and the Congress came a step closer for a possible alliance before the crucial assembly elections next year as senior SP leaders had a closed door meeting with Congress poll strategist Prashant Kishor in the backdrop of the SP's silver jubilee foundation day function. Though there was no official word from both the parties, but according to sources, Mr Kishor, commonly known as PK, met SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brother and party state president Shivpal Yadav in two phases for about six hours to talk about the alliance.
Highly placed sources said now the talks would be held in New Delhi next week to take the matter forward. However, all the efforts of PK could not persuade Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav as the CM refused to meet him at the hotel yesterday, where all the leaders were put up by the Samajwadi Party. The main reason for denial by the CM to meet PK was the involvement of SP general secretary Amar Singh in the alliance discussion with the Congress. Earlier too, Mr Akhilesh Yadav had said there was no need for any alliance for the SP and all the good work of the state government would pave the way for the next term. But, the situation has changed for the party after the family feud and now the CM was saying that Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav will take the decision on the pre-poll alliance.
Sources said that there were some hitches over CM candidate as the Congress has already projected former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit as their CM face while Mr Akhilesh Yadav is already the mascot of the ruling party. According to sources, the Congress is said to be ready on 100 seats under the alliance but it is upto the SP to decide as they have around 229 sitting MLAs and candidates in over 156 seats, mostly those where the party was runners-up in 2012 elections, candidates have been announced. Though UP Congress president Raj Babbar has officially said that PK has no mandate for talking with other parties for alliance in UP polls but other senior leaders and the legislators are very eager to forge an alliance with the SP.
Yesterday's SP silver jubilee foundation day programme had laid the foundation for a grand alliance of the ruling party with the parties of the erstwhile Janata parivaar. The leaders of Janata parivar in one voice had asked the SP supremo to take the initiative for the alliance in UP polls to prevent the BJP from coming to power in the state. The focus of attack on Janata parivar leaders was Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They all expressed their firm resolve to not only stop the BJP from coming to power in UP in 2017, but also defeat the party in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. (UNI)