SP to contest all nine seats in UP assembly by-polls, Cong to extend 'full support'

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP), a member of the grand opposition I.N.D.I.A alliance, would be contesting all the nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh where by-polls were slated to be held on November 13.

According to the SP sources, a decision to this effect was taken after a telephonic conversation between SP president Akhilesh Yadav and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Akhilesh, in a post on his 'X' (formerly Twitter) late on Wednesday night, said that the joint candidates of the I.N.D.I.A alliance would be contesting on 'cycle' (the election symbol of SP).

''The issue is not seats.....the issue is win....under this strategy, the I.N.D.I.A alliance candidates will contest all the nine seats on the SP election symbol....Congress and SP stand unitedly to register a big win in the by-polls....the I.N.D.I.A alliance is going to write a new chapter of victory in these by-polls,'' Akhilesh said in his post.

He said that the SP would gain more strength with the addition of the Congress workers.

A senior UP Congress leader, when queried in this regard, said that it was essential to be ready to make sacrifices to defeat the BJP. ''Our decision is reflective of the fact that we want to defeat the communal forces,'' he added.

Earlier the Congress had dropped hints that it could withdraw from the contest allowing the SP to contest all the nine seats saying that it was unsure of winning any of the two seats offered by the SP.

Congress was offered Khair in Aligarh district and Ghaziabad assembly seats by the SP. Both the seats were considered to be strongholds of the BJP. Congress had demanded five seats, including Phulpur and Manjhawa, but the SP offered it only two seats.

Sources said that Akhilesh later agreed to give Phulpur seat to Congress but the latter ultimately decided not to contest the by-polls.

The SP had already declared candidates from Sisamau, Manjhawa, Phulpur, Katehari and Karhal assembly seats.The by-polls on nine assembly seats were slated to be held on November 13.