NCP holding seat-sharing talks with SP for UP polls, one seat decided so far: Nawab Malik

Nawab Malik. File pic

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik on Saturday said his party is in talks with the Samajwadi Party (SP) over the seat-sharing formula for the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, and so far one seat has been decided for the NCP.

He also said the current situation in Uttar Pradesh is similar to that in 1993 when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was stopped from occupying power in that state.

Talking to reporters here, Malik, who is NCP's chief spokesperson and Maharashtra minister, said, "The NCP and the Samajwadi Party have decided one seat, which we (NCP) will be contesting. Talks about other seats are going on. The current situation in Uttar Pradesh is similar to 1993, when BJP was ousted from power." In 1993 Uttar Pradesh elections, SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav had joined hands with the then Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Kanshi Ram to give a jolt to the BJP. The SP-BSP combine formed the government with the support of other parties, even as the BJP had emerged as the single largest party at that time.

Malik further said, "The people of Uttar Pradesh are rejecting BJP's politics of identity, which is creating dominance of one community over others. Hence, groups like Dalits, OBCs, labourers and farmers are moving away from the BJP for good." Talking about the upcoming assembly elections in other states, he said the NCP has formed an alliance with the Congress in Manipur, but there is no progress on seat-sharing talks in Goa.

"Therefore, NCP is considering going solo in Goa elections like last time," he said.

Earlier this week, NCP president Sharad Pawar had said his party would contest the UP elections as part of the SP-led alliance.

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