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SP releases 4th list, announces 12 more candidates for MP polls
The SP declared candidates for Panna, Mangawan, Gwalior East, Mehgaon, Govindpura, Banda, Jaura, Gohad, Khargapur, Maharajpur, Chatarpur, and Devtalab assembly constituencies.
Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party (SP) released the fourth list of candidates for the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections late on Sunday night. With 12 candidates announced in the fourth list, the total number of candidates that the SP has fielded in the central Indian state’s polls goes up to 45.
The SP declared candidates for Panna, Mangawan, Gwalior East, Mehgaon, Govindpura, Banda, Jaura, Gohad, Khargapur, Maharajpur, Chatarpur, and Devtalab assembly constituencies.
The fourth list comes amid indications of truce by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in the ongoing tension between the SP and Congress—the two key players of INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh.
Akhilesh indicated a willingness to seek peace and declared a truce on Saturday when he told reporters in Hardoi, “Just now, I received a message from the topmost leader of the Congress through an intermediary. If that leader is expressing something, then I will accept it.”
The SP chief had been expressing anger over the past one week, alleging “betrayal” by MP Congress poll managers.
On Saturday, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had already stated, “Even if they had offered us just four seats, we would have been content with that.” He made this comment while recounting how Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath and former chief minister Digvijay Singh had “betrayed” the SP, despite late night alliance discussions with the SP. A verbal feud between the two parties escalated when the SP began announcing candidates for the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections and even released a party manifesto for the Madhya Pradesh polls.
However, after Saturday’s statements by Akhilesh, the war of words between the two parties came to a halt. On Sunday, Akhilesh held a meeting with the party’s MP poll managers.
After the meeting, party source revealed, “Even if the party contests in Madhya Pradesh without an agreement, it will be a friendly contest with the Congress. The objective is to defeat the BJP in MP.”
Vyasji Gond, Samajwadi Party’s Madhya Pradesh assembly poll in-charge, a national executive member and former U.P. minister, said, “Talks are currently in progress between the SP and the top leadership of the Congress. We are prepared to make any necessary agreements to oust the BJP from the states, and subsequently, from the centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.”
The nomination filing process began on October 21 and will continue until October 30. Madhya Pradesh voters will cast their votes on November 17.
