Amid a spat with Congress over seat-sharing in Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, the chief of Samajwadi Party, a component of the INDIA bloc, Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday stated that his party extended support to the grand old party to form their government in the poll-bound state not once, but twice.
The Samajwadi Party chief mentioned that his party secured one seat in the 2018 Madhya Pradesh elections, and with their support, Congress was able to form its government.
“We had one MLA, and we were the runners-up in five seats. When Congress needed assistance, the Samajwadi Party was the first to stand by them. As a result, the Congress government was established in Madhya Pradesh. Furthermore, when the need arose once more, the Samajwadi Party MLA supported Congress without any conditions,” Akhilesh Yadav stated during his interaction with reporters here in Hardoi.
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In the 2018 Madhya Pradesh polls, the SP contested 52 seats, winning one seat, Bijawar, and finishing as the second choice in five seats, securing 1.30 per cent of the votes.
Yadav’s party and Congress, both part of the alliance committed to presenting a united front against the Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls under the INDIA umbrella, are currently in a disagreement in Madhya Pradesh after Congress did not allocate any seats to the SP despite discussions on seat sharing.
Earlier on Thursday, Akhilesh Yadav expressed his newfound realization that the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance is confined to the national level and questioned who would stand with Congress if they continued to behave in this manner.
“If Congress did not wish to allocate seats (in MP), they should have communicated this earlier. Presently, the SP is focused on securing seats. After the Madhya Pradesh experience, I’ve come to understand that the INDIA alliance is designed for national-level (parliamentary) elections. If Congress persists in this approach, it raises the question of who will support them. If we confront the BJP with uncertainty, our chances of success will diminish,” he remarked.
The BJP, closely monitoring the developments, is mocking both parties, suggesting that they have joined forces to fight at the national level while grappling amongst themselves in the states.
Madhya Pradesh is slated to hold assembly polls on November 17, with the vote count scheduled for December 3. (ANI)
[The story, originally from a syndicated feed, has been revised for improved coherence.]