Congress SP alliance: Ten Things you need to know

The battle for states becomes only more gruelling day by day. Now, Congress has announced that it will form an alliance with Samajwadi Party for UP elections. Here are ten things you need to know.

1. Akhilesh Yadav, 43, did not reveal the Congress partnership as he announced the Samajwadi Party’s manifesto. Instead, as he exited the event, he shouted in response to a question from a reporter that “the alliance is on”.
2. He did not offer more information including how the Congress and he will divide between them seats in Raebareli and Amethi, crucial for the Congress because they are the parliamentary constituencies of its top two leaders, Rahul and Sonia Gandhi.
3. Akhilesh Yadav’s father, Mulayam Singh, was not present on a stage that had posters of both men in leadership roles. Days ago, Akhilesh Yadav trumped Mulayam Singh to win the rights to use their party’s name and symbol.
4. Till then, Mulayam Singh was unyielding on wanting to run the party and control decisions for the election including the crucial aspect of selecting candidates.  He has now been made (read relegated to) party mentor.
5. The Congress and Akhilesh Yadav began the week by proclaiming their alliance was all but announced. Details were being mapped, they said.
6. Akhilesh Yadav stung the Congress by announcing a loss of nearly 200 candidates including some for seats that are currently held by the Congress.
7. What enraged the Congress however was the Samajwadi signalling that it would not surrender the seven of 10 seats that it has in Amethi and Rae Bareli.
8. Though the Congress has only two seats in the neighbouring precincts, they are the traditional stronghold of the Gandhi family. So the Congress being assigned a minority of seats here is seen as an affront to the Gandhis and a public acknowledgement to voters that the party is in decline.
9. But that is the case, the Samajwadi Party said, pointing out that in the last state election, the Congress won just 28 of 403 constituencies. Negotiations continued till 4 am because both sides, despite their posturing, believe that a combined front against the BJP will deliver better dividends especially by consolidating the important Muslim vote.
10. The Congress after a series of electoral losses is politically attenuated. And Akhilesh Yadav is contending with anti-incumbency against a campaign that will be led for the BJP by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Stay tuned with NewsMobile for live updates.