Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said his party's alliance with the Congress is "off to a good start" with 11 "strong" Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. The state sends 80 members to the Lower House of Parliament and elections are due in April-May.
"Our cordial alliance with the Congress is off to a good start with 11 strong seats. This trend will move forward with the winning equation. 'INDIA' team and 'PDA' strategy will change history," Yadav said in a post in Hindi on 'X'.
Akhilesh's announcement comes at a time when the INDIA alliance is on the verge of collapsing. With uncertainties looming large over Bihar following TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's decision to go it alone in West Bengal, Akhilesh's support has come as a blessing in disguise for the Grand Old Party.
Kumar had joined hands with RJD, founded by his former arch-rival Lalu Prasad, in August 2022 after he severed ties with the BJP. The longest-serving CM of Bihar, thereafter, embarked upon a drive to bring together all parties across the country to take on the BJP that culminated in the formation of the opposition bloc INDIA.
With suspense building over Nitish Kumar's move, cracks are widening in the INDIA conglomerate with discrepancies in Kerala and Maharashtra too. But the tension between SP and Congress seems to have ended with Akhilesh announcing alliances with the party. In case Kumar decides to return to the NDA fold, the opposition united front will take a big hit.
