Akhilesh's wife Dimple plays key role in SP-Cong alliance

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav might have stayed in the shadows of her family seniors so far, but political insiders say that she might emerge as a force to reckon with in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

Dimple, second-term MP from Kannauj, is lending a strong support to her husband Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in building an alliance with Congress for the crucial state polls.

Since Akhilesh is mired in family and party affairs, Dimple is being used as an emissary by him to convey the message for formulating a strong alliance, a Congress leader said.

With Dimple taking the role of the main negotiator for her party, Priyanka Gandhi appears to be donning the same role for Congress as the two have had at least one meeting in New Delhi a couple of days ago, he said.

Akhilesh Yadav has publicly supported an alliance with the Congress saying that it will help win over 300 seats in the 403 constituencies in the state, whereas his father and party supremo Mulayam Singh has opposed such a tie-up.

Although posters featuring Dimple and Priyanka came up in Allahabad recently, party functionaries said it was an act of a few individuals.

"It seems that some individuals have worked on their own in this regard (posters)....we will go ahead on any such thing only after a green signal from the party high command," district unit president of Congress Anil Dwivedi said.

The party insiders believe that the coming together of Samajwadi Party and Congress will be in the interest of both, especially the latter, which has been out of power for 27 years.

Another Congress leader said the alliance will be formally announced as soon as the Election Commission gives its verdict on the Samajwadi Party symbol, with some smaller outfits also finding a place in the tie-up.

The Mulayam and Akhilesh Yadav camps of the ruling Samajwadi Party have staked claim over 'cycle' symbol of the party. The Election Commission, which has heard both the sides, has said that a judgement will be delivered at the earliest as the process of filing nominations for the phase one of the Assembly elections will begin on January 17.