Congress efforts to woo smaller parties in UP bearing fruits

After failing to strike a seat sharing pact with the SP, Congress efforts to forge an alliance with smaller political parties in Uttar Pradesh have started bearing fruits with the party entering into an alliance in six seats in the state.

After failing to strike a seat sharing pact with the SP, Congress efforts to forge an alliance with smaller political parties in Uttar Pradesh have started bearing fruits with the party entering into an alliance in six seats in the state.

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The Congress has arrived at a seat adjustment with the Rashtriya Swabhiman Party of former minister RK Chaudhary and Sarvodaya Kranti Party of Raja Ram Pal on some six seats where the party has not yet announced its candidates.

Sources in these smaller parties said that Jaunpur and Mohanlalganj seats besides Lakhimpur, Firozabad, Kairana and Akbarpur seats have been left for Rashtriya Swabhiman Party and Rashtriya Sarvodaya party of which candidates have already been decided for Jaunpur, Mohanlalganj and Akbarpur seats.

It was because of this commitment that the Congress did not field local and Bhojpuri film star, Ravi Kishan, who was all set to contest the Jaunpur seat, sources said.

The Congress would be extending support to Pal on Akbarpur seat and Chaudhary and Sarvodya Kranti Party candidate Raj Patel on Mohanlalganj and Jaunpur seats respectively, sources said.

Though several rounds of talks were also held with Sonelal Patel of Apna Dal with the mediation of Chaudhary, an understanding could not be reached with him following clash on some seats like Pratapgarh where the Congress has a strong candidate in the form of former MP, Rajkumari Ratna Singh who has been given a ticket again, sources said.