Open to SP-Congress alliance in Madhya Pradesh for 2018 Assembly polls, says Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said that the party is open to an alliance with the Congress for the upcoming polls in Madhya Pradesh as well as for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

At a a press conference, he said that "the BJP can be defeated" and "if they have a formula (for the Assembly elections later this year), even the Samajwadi Party and the alliance will have a formula" ready.

"The Samajwadi Party must have done something right to make people believe that the BJP can be defeated," Yadav said.

Backing Modi government's push for 'one nation one poll' proposal, Akhilesh said "One nation, one poll is good and we welcome it. Our party is ready to take on simultaneous polls in 2019.

2019 se tayiaari kariye hum bhi aapke saath hain is mudde par (Start preparations for it in 2019 itself. We are with you)."

Uttar Pradesh has given the go-ahead to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'one nation, one poll' idea for simultaneous state and national elections and offered suggestions for its implementation.

"UP is the first state to push PM's idea of national debate on holding all elections up to the panchayat together. We have examined it and it is possible," Singh told PTI after handing over the report titled, "One nation, one election & common electoral rolls."

Adityanath later said, "We are forwarding the report to the Centre, and it will be good in the larger public interest."

Presently, electoral rolls for the Lok Sabha and the state assembly are prepared under the jurisdiction of the Election Commission while the State Election Commission is responsible for the local bodies.

The Lok Sabha and the assembly elections are conducted through electronic voting machines (EVMs) while ballot papers are used for the local bodies' elections.