Akhilesh snubs Congress, says have 'waited long' for MP polls

The Samajwadi Party said on Saturday it will no longer wait for the Congress to decide on an alliance for Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, suggesting it preferred Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party.

The SP’s snub to the Congress comes just days after Mayawati ruled out any BSP alliance with that party for Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, a move which could hit opposition efforts to form an anti-Bharatiya Janata Party front before the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

“The Congress has made us wait for too long. How much longer must we wait?” SP president Akhilesh Yadav said.

“We will now consult the Gondwana Gantantra party with which we had an alliance, and also the BSP, for the coming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh,” Yadav told reporters.

“Time is passing by and we cannot wait any longer,” he said.

Reacting to Yadav’s remark, the Congress said in New Delhi that it had not been planning an alliance with the SP in Madhya Pradesh in any case.

But Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala added there had been a possibility of an alliance with the BSP in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

On Wednesday, Mayawati said her Bahujan Samaj Party will contest the assembly polls on its own or in alliance with a regional party.

She had said Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi wanted an alliance but some “selfish” senior leaders in their party were out to foil any understanding.

Reacting to Mayawati’s statement, Akhilesh Yadav had then urged the Congress to show large-heartedness by taking along other parties.

“If there is any delay, there is a possibility that other parties may declare their candidates. After this, there will be a levelling of allegations that they colluded with the BJP,” he had said.

Madhya Pradesh will go to the polls on November 28, the Election Commission announced Saturday.