Chances bright for Congress & SP alliance in UP for 2017 polls

Akhilesh is keen on it as he believes an alliance could net more than 300 of the state's 403 seats

With Akhilesh Yadav gaining upper hand in the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Congress seems to be moving closer to an alliance with the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh to keep Muslim-Yadav equation intact.

Akhilesh is keen on an alliance with Congress, saying the parties together could net more than 300 of the state's 403 seats, though Mulayam is opposed to such partnership and had ruled out a tie-up with any party.

Congress has, however, not ruled out the possibility of a pre-poll alliance with like-minded parties like the SP in Uttar Pradesh and its chief ministerial face Sheila Dikshit has gone to the extent of offering to step aside in favour of young Akhilesh.

Reports were doing the rounds that Akhilesh was likely to meet Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi in Delhi early next week and a deal could be struck.

Soon after the announcement of poll schedule for five states, including the key state of UP, Congress spokesman Shaktisinh Gohil said the party has kept its options open to ally with the SP to stop "fascist" forces from coming to power.

On her part, Dikshit said, "There are unconfirmed reports of an alliance with Samajwadi Party. If that happens, certainly I would like to see a young chief minister of Uttar Pradesh."

If there is an alliance between Congress and SP, the results would be good, she said, though Congress general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad did not openly advocate an alliance with any party for the coming polls.

"As of now, we are working on the recommendations of the screening committee for all the 403 seats in the state... What can happen in future will be known in time... But there is a lot of pressure on secular parties (for alliance)," he had said in Lucknow on Wednesday.