UP polls: Chandrashekhar Azad says efforts on to form third front

Azad Samaj Party chief Chandrashekhar Azad on Saturday said efforts were being made to form a third front of several opposition parties for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls and if it did not materialise, his party would go it alone.

He also targeted Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

"We thought this is a new Samajwadi Party and there will be some change in it. We can speak about social justice.... We wanted unity of the bahujan and we were banking on him (Akhilesh Yadav), but yesterday we felt that our hopes had been shattered," he told reporters here.

"I feel that Akhilesh-ji does not need us. All the best to him...we will fight our own polls," he added.

Uttar Pradesh goes to assembly polls in seven phases between February 10 and March 7.

Azad said, "The effort is to unite scattered opposition parties and form a third front. Otherwise, after discussions with the core committee of Azad Samaj Party, we will contest the elections on our own."

To a question on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath having food at a Dalit household, he said, "He still considers them (Dalits) as untouchable, hence is trying to prove a point by going and eating there. Why is he not having food at the home of a Brahmin or Thakur. He wants to prove a point that he is giving respect to them by having food with them."