SP-BSP alliance hit by seat sharing hurdle

The much-publicised electoral alliance between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and BSP has been hit a hurdle with both parties staking claims over around a dozen Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.

According to sources, the lack of agreement has delayed the publication of the list of seats in which each party will contest.

At the time the alliance was announced, it was roughly assumed that the SP would contest seats it won in 2014 and where its candidates finished as runners-up.

The BSP, which had failed to win even a single seat in 2014, was to contest on the seats on which it finished second.

"BSP is claiming seats where SP had finished runners-up," said a senior SP leader while speaking to DH.

He said SP had staked a claim on some seats in the eastern UP region, but that BSP was not willing to concede.

Besides, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) continued to insist on contesting in four seats though the alliance was adamant on giving it only two seats in the western UP region, the leader said.

"Senior leaders of both parties have been holding parleys to resolve the deadlock," he said, adding that the delay could hurt the preparations for the polls.

Both the SP and BSP would be contesting 38 seats, each leaving two for RLD.

The alliance has also decided not to field its candidates in Amethi and Raebareli, the LS constituencies of Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi respectively.