Withdrew my name as UP chief ministerial candidate for younger generation: Sheila Dikshit

Sheila Dikshit on Monday hailed the Congress and Swajawadi Party tie-up, saying that they all have been relieved after the formation of alliance, adding she withdrew her name as Uttar Pradesh chief ministerial candidate for the younger generation.

"We have been relieved now. The Congress and Swajawadi Party have now united and their pledge to beat the communal forces is appreciable in itself," Dikshit told ANI.

Commenting on withdrawal of her name as UP chief ministerial face, Dikshit said: "I had already said that there can't be two faces for chief ministerial candidate for Uttar Pradesh elections so I withdrew my name and made pave for the younger generation."

She further said that development of the country and the state is the main aim of the Congress.

Dikshit also took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that the latter should mind their work, adding, "BJP can put any allegations against our party but it is the people who will decide the fate and we should leave it to them whom they chose."

The Samajwadi Party and Congress yesterday firmed up an alliance for next month's high-voltage Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls at a joint press briefing. They vowed to make Akhilesh Yadav the chief minister of the politically crucial state yet again while promising to free the state from communal and divisive forces.

The formal announcement of SP-Congress alliance has come after discussions by the two sides over few days before they agreed to 298-105 formula.

The poll process in Uttar Pradesh begins on February 11. 73 constituencies in western Uttar Pradesh will go polls in this phase. The filing of nominations for these constituencies will end on January 24.

Uttar Pradesh is set to have a seven-phase polling between February 11 and March 8.