UP Polls: Amar congratulates SP leader for sweeping UP Polls

Congratulating Mulayam Singh Yadav for sweeping UP assembly polls, his former confidant Amar Singh today said the electorate preferred SP's "immediate" relief like unemployment allowance than his long term plan to divide the state into smaller units for speedy development.

Singh's year-old Rashtriya Lok Manch, which had fielded 360 candidates in UP, failed to open its account in the assembly polls. Singh, who had left SP in 2010 following sharp differences with Yadav, claimed that though politics is not his "bread and butter", he wanted a "special purpose vehicle" to put across his views on state's development.

"The electorate decided to go for immediate relief like Rs 1000 per month unemployment allowance announced as poll manifesto. They did not take my plans to create a separate Poorvanchal (east UP) for speedy development of the region," Singh told PTI.

"Accepting" people's mandate, he also congratulated Yadav for storming to power in UP. He addressed several meetings where he attacked Yadav and supported the cause of Muslims. But apparently, it failed to influence voters of UP who gave a thumping majority to SP. Singh also undertook a padyatra covering over 1000 km in support of division of UP.