Congress rejects Akhilesh's offer of 99 seats, alliance for UP polls unlikely

NEW DELHI: The alliance between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party failed to take place on Saturday over the matter of seat distribution, as the former was demanding more seats than the latter for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. According to sources, SP  agreed to give 99 (85 +14) of the 403 seats to the Congress but the grand old party wanted more share. Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal said Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was offering 100 seats, but the Congress was not ready for less than 120 seats. "The Chief Minister offered 100 seats to Congress, but they were not ready for less than 120 seats. We told the Congress that we have 234 sitting MLAs and we need to give them tickets as well, and since there are a few others as well, there is no chance of us fighting on less than 300 seats," Uttam said. Taking a dig at the Congress, Uttam further said the party was demanding more seats as if it were "influential" in Uttar Pradesh. "But the Congress was rigid on their demand as if they have are a great source of influence in the region and Uttar Pradesh cannot run without them," he said. The Samajwadi Party leader further blamed the Congress for breaking the alliance and said this development will give a big boost to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "We gave it our all to ensure that this alliance is forged, but could not do anything because of Congress' rigidity," he added. According to sources, the main bone of contention between the two parties emerged when the Congress wanted more seats in Rae Bareli and Amethi constituencies, the stronghold of the Gandhi family, whereas the Samajwadi Party was unwilling to field their 'failed' candidates on the same. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will release the party's manifesto at 11 a.m. tomorrow in Lucknow