UP elections 2017: Congress expresses displeasure over SP list

New Delhi: Indicating that all is not well in the alliance, the Congress on Friday expressed its displeasure over the Samajwadi Party (SP) releasing a list of 191 candidates for Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, which also included nine seats of sitting Congress MLAs, terming it "unfortunate".

Samajwadi Party (SP) releasing a list of 191 candidates for Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, which also included nine seats of sitting Congress MLAs, terming it "unfortunate".

"It is unfortunate that out of 191 seats which was declared today (Friday) by SP, nine seats belonged to sitting Congress MLAs. Obviously we were expecting those seats. Other technical details also agreed and concluded upon between Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilseh Yadav and the Congress leadership should be honoured - is only what we are saying," said senior Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken.

Asked if the alliance, confirmed a few days ago, would continue, Maken said: "On alliance we can give information only when talks will be there between Congress General Secretary in-charge of UP Ghulam Nabi Azad and Akhilesh Yadav. Only then we can get more details about the alliance."

"The alliance was finalised by the national president of the SP. He only announced the seats for 191 candidates. We can talk about the future of alliance only after the talks are done," he added.

"Anything further can be said once we talk to Akhilesh Yadav, with whom alliance talks, technicalities and details of alliance was formalised," said Maken.

The SP also didn`t give the Congress seats in the Lok Sabha constituencies of Amethi and Rae Bareli, represented by Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.

After the SP list of 191 seats was announced in the morning, Congress called an emergency meeting here which was attended by all the senior leaders, including Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) list for Uttar Pradesh included the names of Shivpal Singh Yadav from his traditional seat Jaswantnagar in Etawah and Mohammad Azam Khan from Rampur.