Akhilesh-Maya alliance in MP, Uttarakhand too

The new found bonhomie between one-time arch rivals, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), that saw the two parties stitching an electoral alliance in Uttar Pradesh in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, will be extended to Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand also.

The two parties have arrived at an understanding in MP and Uttarakhand and will be contesting the LS polls there in alliance.

A joint press release by SP president Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati said that SP would contest three seats in MP and one in the hill state of Uttarakhand.

SP would put up its candidates on Balaghat, Tikamgarh and Khajuraho seats in MP and Garhwal (Paudi) in Uttarakhand.

BSP would be contesting all the remaining 26 LS seats in MP and three seats in Uttarakhand.

Interestingly both SP and BSP were supporting the Congress government in MP. BSP had won two seats in the recently concluded assembly polls in MP. SP had managed to win only one seat.

Though SP and BSP failed to win more number of seats, they had adversely impacted Congress candidates' electoral prospects in the state, particularly in the Vindhya and Chambal regions.

''We wanted some kind of electoral understanding with the Congress but we knew that the latter would not spare any seat for us and so we have decided to contest the LS polls in MP in alliance with each other,'' said a senior SP leader while speaking to Deccan Herald here.

UP Congress leaders sought to play down the SP-BSP alliance in MP and Uttarakhand, saying that the two parties had no presence in both states.

''Neither of the parties (SP and BSP) has any presence in MP and Uttarakhand....their alliance will have no bearing on us,'' said a state Congress leader here.