Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party, confirmed on February 21 that the alliance with the Congress party under the banner of INDIA for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections is indeed proceeding as planned.
This announcement coincides with Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Uttar Pradesh.
“It is happening. You will get a news in two hours. All is well that ends well,” Yadav told.
The Akhilesh Yadav-led party had previously proposed 17 seats, but the Congress declined the offer. Yadav has refrained from participating in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra currently traversing Uttar Pradesh. He has stated that his party will join the yatra once the seat-sharing agreement for the Lok Sabha polls is finalized.
“There is no conflict. Everything will be out and clear soon, ” Yadav told reporters in UP’s Moradabad.
While an official announcement on seat-sharing is pending, insider sources have revealed that the two parties have reached an agreement wherein the Samajwadi Party (SP) will cede the Varanasi seat to the Congress party. Varanasi holds significant prominence as it is the constituency from which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been elected twice, in 2014 and 2019.
Furthermore, the SP has already nominated former minister Surendra Singh Patel, an OBC leader, for the seat. However, this decision is expected to be retracted if an agreement is reached for the Congress to field a candidate instead. It is speculated that Ajay Rai, the President of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, will likely be the candidate put forward by the Congress for the Varanasi seat.
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‘It is happening’: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav confirms alliance with Congress
