Cong to announce list of 80 LS candidates by Jan 30

Accusing SP of not being serious about an alliance, Congress in UP said it will announce candidates for all 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state if an agreement was not reached with Samajwadi Party by January 30.

Accusing Samajwadi Party of not being serious about an alliance, Congress in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday said it will announce candidates for all 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state if an agreement was not reached with Samajwadi Party by January 30.

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"The state unit has already submitted to the party high command a panel of candidates for all the 80 seats in the state. In case, if there is no agreement with SP, the party will announce names of its candidate," Congress state president Rita Bahuguna Joshi told reporters in Gonda.

Joshi said there were no talks between the two parties over possible seat-sharing in the last two months.

"In the meantime, SP released names of its candidates for 57 seats in three phases. This indicates that SP leadership is not serious about an alliance with Congress," Joshi said.

The UPCC president said though former SP leader Beni Prasad Verma had not joined Congress, his name as candidate from Gonda parliamentary constituency figured in the panel sent to the party high command.

"The party (BS) didn't even have district presidents at a number of places," she said.

Joshi asked UP Chief Minister Mayawati to issue a white paper on donations received by BSP on her birthday.