Akhilesh Yadav Confirms Alliance with Congress, Lists of Seats Likely to be Announced Today

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav has officially announced the alliance with the Indian National Congress (INC) for the upcoming general elections in Uttar Pradesh, a crucial state with 80 parliamentary seats.

Addressing reporters, Yadav expressed confidence in the alliance, stating, “We will partner with Congress, there are no issues in the alliance.” Emphasizing unity, he added, “Ant bhala toh sab bhala” (All’s well if the end’s well) and asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) “will be defeated,” while confirming SP’s intent to contest a significant number of seats.

Reports suggest the final list of candidates for the SP-Congress alliance may be released soon. Notably, the SP is considering withdrawing its candidate for the Varanasi seat, potentially ceding it to the Congress. The seat-sharing arrangement involves swapping seats, with Hathras going to the SP in exchange for Sitapur. Additionally, there’s a possibility of SP gaining one seat from Bulandshahr or Mathura, while Congress may secure the Shravasti seat.

The alliance announcement follows recent developments, including the SP releasing its third list of candidates, featuring senior leader Shivpal Yadav. Concurrently, former national general secretary Swami Prasad Maurya resigned from the party.

Seat-sharing talks have seen SP offering 17 Lok Sabha seats to Congress, with Akhilesh Yadav linking his participation in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Nyay Yatra to the finalization of seat distribution. The alliance aims to present a formidable opposition against the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, a state crucial to national politics.