Congress to fight alone in UP, says Jyotiraditya Scindia

New Delhi: It is official now. The Congress has decided to go it alone in Uttar Pradesh. The development is being considered as an advantage for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.

“The Congress will fight the general election in Uttar Pradesh on its own strength,” party’s West UP incharge Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Saturday. He asserted that the path of his party may be different from that of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) but their objective is the same.

However, the development could lead to a split in anti-BJP votes and lead to a three-cornered contest in most of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state which could effectively help the BJP.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Scindia said that as far as talks for alliances are concerned, “like-minded parties should also think in a like-minded way”.  The remarks of AICC general secretary assume significance as they come amid reports that there may be a rethink on the grand alliance between the SP, the BSP and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in Uttar Pradesh to include the Congress.

Reacting to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s remarks that the Congress is very much in the grand alliance as two seats were being left for it, Mr Scindia said, “If this is his thinking, then we may also leave two-three seats for them.”

“The current situation is that the SP and the BSP have taken a decision that they want to walk on a different path with the same objective that the Congress has. Our paths can be different, but the objective is the same,” he said.

Mr Scindia asserted that the Congress wants to have a UPA government at the Centre and it is determined to come back to power in Uttar Pradesh by 2022.

“We have said time and again that our objective is the same that UPA government must be formed at the Centre. In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is going to fight this election on its own strength,” Mr Scindia told reporters here.

“We believe that be it BSP or SP, they have taken a decision and we respect that decision. They have the right to choose their path. They have chosen their path and the Congress is going to fight this election on its own strength,”” he said.

Asked whether talks should be held to bring like-minded parties together, he said dialogue should take place but it should be from both sides. “We are going to establish the Congress strongly on the ground in UP. And we are moving in that direction,” he said.

On leaders in UP like Savitribai Phule, a former BJP leader, joining the Congress, Mr Scindia said the party’s doors are open for those who have strength on the ground, want to serve the people and are committed to form a new Uttar Pradesh.

Interestingly, both the Congress and the SP have announced their first list of candidates for some seats in UP. The Congress on Thursday announced 11 candidates for the electorally crucial state of the UP, fielding UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareli and party president Rahul Gandhi from Amethi.

The SP on Friday released its first list of nine candidates, fielding party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav from its stronghold Mainpuri. Uttar Pradesh has 80 Lok Sabha seats out of which the Congress had won just two (Amethi and Raebareli) in 2014.