8 parties to meet for MP alliance talks: Loktantrik Janata Dal

Eight political parties will meet on September 30 to work out an alliance against the ruling BJP in the forthcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, Loktantrik Janata Dal mentor Govind Yadav said Sunday.

The move comes against the backdrop of Mayawati-led BSP Thursday announcing its first list of 22 candidates for the MP state polls.

"Now that the BSP has decided to fight elections on its own, we are going to sit together to talk about forming an alliance so that the opposition vote does not get fragmented," Yadav, former Janata Dal (United) Madhya Pradesh president, said Sunday.

Leaders of the Samajwadi Party (SP), CPM, CPI, Bahujan Sangharsh Dal, Gondwana Gantantra Party, Rashtriya Samanta Dal, Prajatantrik Samadhan Party, apart from the Loktantrik Janata Dal, would meet to work out the modalities of an alliance, Yadav informed.

He added that the proposed alliance was ready to "come under the umbrella" of the Congress in order to unseat the BJP, which has been ruling the state for 15 years.

Yadav, however, added that time was running out for the Congress which had, so far, failed to a form a grand alliance in the state.

"So, I am going to meet Sharad Yadav (former Janata Dal (U) president), who is from MP, asking for help to bring the opposition parties on one platform," Yadav said.

The Congress, meanwhile, Sunday said that the party was still hopeful of an alliance with the BSP.

"We are in talks with the BSP and Samajwadi Party. I am hopeful that 'bua' (aunt-referring to Mayawati) and 'bhatija' (nephew- referring to Akhilesh Yadav) will help the Congress defeat the BJP," MP Congress chief Kamal Nath said Sunday.

"Our first priority is to stop the fragmentation of anti-BJP votes to ensure its defeat," Nath told reporters.

According to another Congress leader, the BSP wants 25 seats in the alliance while the former is ready to give Mayawati's party 15 seats.

The BSP currently has four MLAs in the 230-member MP Assembly.