Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday hinted that a seat-share deal with the Congress for Uttar Pradesh's 80 Lok Sabha seats is nearing completion.
Speaking to reporters, Yadav stated, "All is well that ends well...there is no dispute...there will be an alliance," when asked about his absence from Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' in Amethi and Rae Bareli.
Earlier in the week, Yadav had indicated that he would join Gandhi's yatra only after the seat-sharing agreement was finalised.
The state units of both parties are likely to hold a joint press conference soon to formally announce the alliance.
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This happens at the same time when the Samajwadi Party surprised the Congress by unilaterally declaring candidates for 31 seats. UP has 80 Lok Sabha constituencies.
Initially, Akhilesh had offered the Congress 11 seats, which was later increased to 15 before finally settling on 17 seats as his last offer.
The Samajwadi Party announced a list of five candidates on Tuesday, including senior leader Shivpal Yadav representing the Budaun parliamentary constituency. Akhilesh Yadav's uncle is Shivpal Yadav.
This statement is a much-needed boost for the opposition bloc, which has struggled to stay united since its formation last June. Seat-sharing disagreements have been a major challenge.
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Led by the Congress, the bloc has already lost Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar from Janata Dal (United), a founding member, and is likely to lose Jayant Chaudhary's Rashtriya Lok Dal in Uttar Pradesh.
