Willing to join Congress, Samajwadi 'ganthbandhan' to defeat BJP: NCP

Supporting the speculation of alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress for the upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Sunday said even they are also willing to join the 'ganthbandhan' to ensure defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre.

NCP leader Majeed Memon said it is being heard that Congress is keen to join hands with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's camp and added that the latter has emerged as the powerful centre and would probably be the chief ministerial face for the polls.

"The Congress joining them (Samajwadi Party) will certainly be making a very formidable, secular combination and we wish that the differences of number of seats to Congress may be from 60 to 120. Even we would support such a 'ganthbandhan' and we would also see if we can join them and support them to ensure defeat of BJP," NCP leader Majeed Memon told ANI.

Reportedly, a meeting between Akhilesh and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has been fixed for January 9 and discussions on an alliance are on the cards.

As of now, the Samajwadi Party is undergoing an internal crisis as both factions, one led-by Akhilesh and another led by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, are at the Election Commission's office at New Delhi staking claim of the party's symbol 'cycle'

At a party gathering in Lucknow, Akhilesh was named the Samajwadi Party's president, last week.

He then pushed his father into retirement by declaring that he would function as patron and mentor of the party.

Mulayam and his aides have insisted his faction is the legit Samajwadi Party.