UP assembly polls: SP will only form coalition with smaller parties, says Akhilesh Yadav

The Samajwadi Party will not form a coalition with bigger parties for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, but with smaller parties said president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday. He welcomed those who are willing to join hands to defeat the BJP and exuded confidence of winning more than 350 seats in the upcoming elections. 

Akhilesh Yadav also reacted government's statement that no deaths were recorded due to the lack of oxygen during the peak of the second wave of COVID-19. "It's the biggest lie of BJP," he said. "When people were choking because of lack of oxygen BJP government could not provide them oxygen. The government is responsible for their deaths as BJP was busy in elections while abandoning people," he added. 

SP promises 10 lakh jobs and free electricity if elected to power in UP

SP, which is the predecessor of the reigning BJP in Uttar Pradesh, has decided to ally only with smaller parties including Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP. SP has promised 10 lakh jobs and free electricity up to 300 units if voted to power.

“In the Panchayat elections, BJP intervened administratively but lost. The District Magistrate has a free hand to change the result. People of UP want to change and they will vote for change. Samajwadi Party will form an alliance with smaller parties,” Yadav said earlier this month.

Similarly, BSP Supremo Mayawati has announced that her party will fight polls alone in UP and Uttarakhand while allying only with Akali Dal in Punjab.

On Sunday, the SP chief claimed that the BJP and RSS are feeling dejected and disappointed seeing power slipping from their hands ahead of the Assembly polls. Yadav, in a statement, said the top leadership of the BJP is well aware of the "deep resentment" among the public towards the BJP government.

"Seeing that power is slipping out from their hands, the BJP and RSS are feeling dejected and disappointed, and have held meetings in Chitrakoot, Vrindavan, and Lucknow in a span of one month," he said. The former UP chief minister claimed that the agenda of these meetings is to devise new ways to confuse people. 

2022 UP elections

With BJP fighting under the leadership of incumbent CM Yogi Adityanath, several fronts have cropped up to challenge the ruling party. While Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj is eyeing an alliance with AIMIM, Azad Samaj Party, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party; parties like AAP, Shiv Sena, and JDU have announced that they will be contesting for the UP polls. Samajwadi Party and BSP have decided to not ally and shut their doors to Congress, opting to ally with smaller parties if needed or go solo. Since then, Congress has aggressively campaigned under the leadership of Priyanka Gandhi in the state, eyeing its solo return. However, Gandhi recently said she is 'open-minded' to forming an alliance to take down the BJP.