UP polls: Shivpal Yadav unaware of talks on Cong-SP tie up

Samajwadi Party state president Shivpal Yadav today said he did not have any information about talks going on fo a tie-up between Samajwadi Party and Congress.

Ballia (UP), Dec 15: Amid reports of a possible alliance with Congress for UP Assembly polls, Samajwadi Party state president Shivpal Yadav today said he did not have any information about talks going on for such a tie-up.

"I don't have any information about any initiative of talks with Congress for alliance," he said. Shivpal was answering queries from media persons on reports suggesting that SP and Congress might forge an alliance ahead of UP Assembly polls.

"We have declared names of 176 candidates. SP central board will declare remaining names soon," he said.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has been saying that a tie-up between SP and Congress would fetch over 300 of the 403 Assembly seats in the upcoming elections while a section of Congress said it is not averse to a "respectable" seat-sharing formula.

"Though samajwadis are going to form majority government in the state, if an alliance takes place, it will win over 300 seats.

The final decision in this regard will be taken by SP National president (Mulayam Singh Yadav)," Akhilesh had told reporters in Lucknow on Tuesday.

On being asked about reports of "hooliganism" by party's Kanpur Cant candidate Atiq Ahmad at a university in Allahabad, Shivpal said he had come to know about it through the media and "action will be taken against him after probe".

Ahmad, mafia don, and gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's brother has been given ticket to contest the Assembly elections.

On being asked about party national general Secretary Amar Singh supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on note ban, Shivpal dodged a direct reply saying, "Amar is friend of the media. You should ask him about his stand."

PTI