NCP to contest UP elections in alliance with SP: Sharad Pawar

Mumbai, Jan 11: In a major development, Sharad Pawar on Tuesday announced that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will be contesting the Uttar Pradesh elections 2022 in alliance with Akhilesh Yadav led Samajwadi Party.

Addressing a press conference, Pawar said "the people of Uttar Pradesh are looking for change. We will surely see the change in the State.

"Communal polarisation is being done in Uttar Pradesh, ahead of Assembly elections. The people of UP will give a befitting reply to this," he added.

Reacting to Swami Prasad Maurya's resignation, Pawar claimed that 13 BJP MLAs in Uttar Pradesh will quit the saffron party and join SP.

In a jolt to the BJP ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, Minister Swami Prasad Maurya on Tuesday resigned from the state cabinet. He is likely to join the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP).

Informing about his decision, Maurya said in a tweet in Hindi, "Due to the attitude of gross neglect towards Dalits, backwards, farmers, unemployed youth and small and medium-sized traders, I am resigning from the council of ministers of Yogi (Adityanath) of UP."

Yadav shared a photo of him with Maurya on Twitter, and welcomed him into the SP fold. In his resignation letter addressed to Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Maurya said, "I discharged my responsibilities as the minister for labour, employment, coordination in the council of ministers headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, despite adverse ('vipreet') circumstances and ideology."

The Uttar Pradesh polls will be held in seven phases -- on February 10 14, 20, 23, 27, March 3 and 7. The results will be declared on March 10 along with the four other poll-bound states of Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.