SP-Congress alliance at breaking point

New Delhi, Mar 6 (ANI): Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh on Friday declared that the party's alliance with the Congress was 'broken' and he could not offer more than 17 seats in Uttar Pradesh to the latter.

"I do not want to use any harsh words, but the alliance is broken. The obituary of the alliance was written the day Congress had announced its list of 24 candidates in Uttar Pradesh. We cannot offer more than 17 seats to the Congress," Amar Singh told reporters here.

The Congress announced its first list of 24 candidates from Uttar Pradesh on Wedenesday.

The Samajwadi Party appeared unhappy with that decision and claimed that the party was under pressure from its rank and file to field its own nominees.

"We are under pressure from party workers against leaving the sitting seats. A final decision is to be taken by the party chief," said Shivpal Singh Yadav, the President of the Uttar Pradesh unit of the Samajwadi Party and brother of Party President Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Samajwadi Party, which unilaterally announced 62 nominees so far, has said it would not field candidates in Rae Bareily and Amethi from where the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are contesting. (ANI)