Muslim league to contest 20 seats in UP polls:SP ready to give one

Lucknow, Mar 12 (UNI) The Muslim League has started talks with the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) for a pre-poll alliance for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls even as it has decided to contest 20 seats in the elections.

Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today held talks with the leaders of the state Muslim League and had a discussion on various issues.

UP state Muslim League senior vice-president Dr Najmul Hassan Gani here said ''the talks...were very successful and the CM has accepted to give one seat to the League.'' Dr Gani added the fate of the other seats would be decided in the meeting of the national council of the Muslim League to be held tomorrow at the residence of Union Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahmed at New Delhi.

He said, ''during the talks, both the of us stressed the need for the unity of the secular forces to prevent the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) from coming to power in UP like it had done in Punjab and Uttarakhand.'' UNI