Samajwadi Party confirms alliance with Congress, offers 17 Lok Sabha seats in UP

Akhilesh Yadav unlikely to appear before CBI for questioning in illegal mining case, say SP sources

After weeks of negotiations, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress have sealed their pre-poll alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. As part of the pact, the Congress has been offered 17 seats to contest in Uttar Pradesh, SP state president Naresh Uttam Patel said.

Both parties have agreed on the seat-sharing formula, and have decided to jointly battle against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state, Patel said.

Both, Congress and the SP, are part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), which was formed last year in a bid to unite the Opposition bloc against the BJP.

Congress' Uttar Pradesh in-charge Avinash Pande, while speaking to the media, also confirmed the inking of the pre-poll alliance with the SP. "I am delighted to tell you that it has been decided that in Uttar Pradesh the INC (Indian National Congress) will contest on 17 seats and the remaining 63 seats will have candidates of INDIA Alliance - from SP and other parties," he said.

The official announcement came hours after SP chief Akhilesh Yadav told reporters that the alliance is set to be sealed, and everything will be cleared soon".

"Yes, there will be an alliance. There is no conflict... All is well that ends well," he said, on being asked by reporters why he was not seen in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra so far. The yatra is currently passing through Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for the highest number of seats in the Lok Sabha.

Out of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies, the Samajwadi Party has so far announced 31 candidates in three lists. The Congress is yet to name any of its candidates so far from UP. Speculations are rife that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the youngest Gandhi scion, may make her electoral debut from Rae Bareli, the seat that will be vacated by her mother Sonia Gandhi.

A section of the party has also urged Rahul Gandhi to re-contest from Amethi, the seat that he represented for 15 years before losing in 2019 against BJP's Smriti Irani.