Congress to contest UP local body polls on its own

New Delhi: With the decision to align with the Samajwadi Party for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections not yielding any dividends, the Congress party has decided to contest the Uttar Pradesh local body elections on its own.

Congress' UP chief Raj Babbar made the announcement after he along with Congress' UP in-charge Gulam Nabi Azad held discussions with party leaders from across the state.

Party candidates who won in the assembly polls, district level office bearers and other important leaders were consulted before the party top brass decided to not get into an electoral alliance with the Samajwadi Party.

Uttar Pradesh urban local body elections will be held in the months of June and July this year.

Congress workers were of the view that the party leadership should focus on rebuilding the party on the ground level and not go for alliances, reports said.

Post the humiliating defeat in UP, the Congress had held review meetings with party district and city unit heads. reports said that a large number of leaders had blamed the pre-poll alliance with the Samajwadi Party for the party’s poor performance.