Lucknow: It is a relationship that has not gone awry but it is one that does not exist at the moment.
The Samajwadi Party and the Congress that struck an alliance in the assembly elections earlier this year and happily flaunted the bonhomie between their leaders are now going their separate ways in the upcoming municipal elections.
“These are local elections and we are contesting them on our own,” said UPCC president Raj Babbar categorically.
Samajwadi Party MLC Sunil Singh Sajan, on the other hand, said that the alliance was for the Assembly elections.
The Congress, after facing its worst ever defeat in the Assembly elections where it was left with just seven seats in the house of 403 members, is determined not to continue their alliance.
Party leaders feel that if they decide to go alone in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the party would fare better.
“In the Assembly polls, we began our campaign against the SP and BSP and then suddenly joined hands with SP. We suffered because we had to bear the brunt of the anti-incumbency factor that had built up against the Akhilesh government,” said a senior party leader who requested anonymity.
Though a large section of party leaders have communicated to the Congress high command that the alliance spelt doom for the party in UP, there are still apprehensions about the future of the alliance.
“For the Lok Sabha elections, the party high command will take a decision in the national perspective. We cannot say anything at the moment,” said Mr Babbar.
Samajwadi president Akhilesh Yadav, on the other hand, continues to tell his party workers that his “friendship with Rahul Gandhi” is for keeps even though a section of SP leaders feel that they faced reverses in the assembly elections due to the alliance.
