Lucknow: Samajwadi Party and the Congress are likely to contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh in 2017 as allies, as per a media report.
According to India Today, the two parties are close to finalising a seat-sharing arrangement.
The media house quoted sources as saying that Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Raj Babbar have met SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav many times.
The report further quoted sources as saying that top leaders of both parties have had set aside their differences in order to forge an alliance.
Meanwhile, on December 15, SP state president Shivpal Yadav had said that he did not have any information about talks going on for such a tie-up.
"I don't have any information about any initiative of talks with Congress for alliance," he had said, as per PTI.
"We have declared names of 176 candidates. SP central board will declare remaining names soon," he had added.
On the other hand, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has been saying that a tie-up between SP and Congress would fetch over 300 of the 403 Assembly seats in the upcoming elections.
"Though samajwadis are going to form majority government in the state, if an alliance takes place, it will win over 300 seats. The final decision in this regard will be taken by SP national president (Mulayam)," Akhilesh had recently told reporters in Lucknow.
(With Agency inputs)
