SP jittery, hence murmurs of alliance, says BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday took potshots at the Samajwadi Party (SP) on the conflicting reports over a possible Grand Alliance in Uttar Pradesh, on the lines of the successful Bihar experiment.

Alleging that the ruling party was "getting jitters of anti-incumbency", state BJP spokesperson Vijay Bahadur Pathak said there was confusion in the party leadership over the winnability of the SP under Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

"One leader says there was no question of any tie-up while the others say they dream an alliance, even if it is with arch-rival Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)," said the BJP leader.

This, he added, was a result of a possible internal analysis within the SP that they are going to be routed in the 2017 state assembly polls.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said in Delhi on Monday that any decision on the alliance will be taken by party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Akhilesh also said that there might be a political alliance between the BJP and BSP.

"There is no talk of alliance within our party, though there might be a tie-up, as in the past between Bua ji (Mayawati) and the BJP," Akhilesh had said.

Other major stakeholders in the state - the Congress and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) - have already ruled out any electoral understanding with the SP.