It's a big challenge to work with alliance: Samjawadi Party

The Samajwadi Party on Wednesday termed its alliance with Congress Party as a big challenge, adding that it would help to contest the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections in a positive and sincere manner.

"Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had said this earlier also that if a party is willing to work for Uttar Pradesh's development, support Samjawadi Party and have similar views as us, then SP can form an alliance with it. It is a big challenge to work with such a grand alliance," SP leader Juhi Singh told ANI.

She further said that alliance has been formed not because the Samajwadi Party is weak but to work with the Congress for development of the state.

Putting all the speculations to an end, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad yesterday said that his party would enter into an alliance with the Samajwadi Party for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls under the leadership of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav also confirmed that the party will lock itself in a pre-poll alliance with the Congress.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Sheila Dikshit, who was named as the chief ministerial candidate for Uttar Pradesh polls, withdrew her name stating that there cannot be two chief ministerial faces in case of an alliance in the politically crucial state.