Ruling out pre-poll alliance, Mulayam Singh says some parties could merge with SP

However, top party leaders have been meeting Congress strategist Prashant Kishor over the last few days and weeks

Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav has trashed talks of any pre-poll alliance in Uttar Pradesh. The ruling party, SP, on Thursday announced it would fight the forthcoming 2017 UP polls on its own without any pre-poll alliance.

The announcement comes in the backdrop of high octane talks where SP tried to stitch together a pre-poll alliance in the state with other like-minded parties and even Congress. Replying to a question in a conference call here, Mulayam, however, said SP would allow merger of other parties with itself.

He even said some parties would indeed merge with SP before the polls, although he did not reveal any names.

Mulayam’s announcement is significant in the context of the erstwhile Janata Party constituents holding meetings in Lucknow and New Delhi over the prospects of an alliance to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party at bay.

His younger brother and sacked UP Cabinet minister, Shivpal Singh Yadav, has been vocally airing his opinions in support of an alliance with Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal etc.

Besides, top SP functionaries, including Mulayam, Shivpal and even UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, had met Congress poll strategist Prashant Kishor over the last few days and weeks over the purported alliance talks. In the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, there were talks of such a "secular" alliance, but SP had backed out in the last moment.