Lucknow, March 5: Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday reiterated that the Congress is a part of the grand alliance (Mahagathbandhan) in Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The SP and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has decided to contest general elections together. The BSP-SP alliance allotted three seats to the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), leaving just two seats for the Congress.

"Congress is with us, it is a part of our alliance. Why do you (media) repeatedly ask if Congress will come with us or not? I have said before also that Congress is part of Mahagatbandhan and they will contest on 2 seats in our alliance," Akhilesh Yadav told reporters. He said the alliance partners will jointly take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 seats. Akhilesh Yadav Hails Rahul Gandhi For Inducting Priyanka Gandhi in Congress.

The SP chief has said it the same thing in the past. The BSP and SP have declared candidates for 37 and 38 seats respectively in Uttar Pradesh. Addressing a press conference with RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary, the son of party founder Ajit Singh, Yadav said the party would contest the Mathura, Baghpat and Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha seats in western Uttar Pradesh.

Once-arch rivals, the BSP and SP announced their tie-up in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha polls in January. The two parties have decided not to field candidates in Amethi and Rae Bareli, represented by Congress President Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. In 2014, the BJP had won 71 seats in Uttar Pradesh while its ally Apna Dal bagged two. The SP won 5 seats and the Congress two, while the BSP drew a blank.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 05, 2019 04:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).