SP leader Mehrotra says party reaped no benefit from alliance with Congress

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Mar. 9 (ANI): Even as the seventh phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly election concluded, a Samajwadi Party leader on Thursday made a statement that can trigger another controversy. "It is my personal view that the Samajwadi Party reaped no benefit from its alliance with the Congress. The Samajwadi Party was capable enough to form its own government. In fact, had our party contested this election without any alliance, we would have got more seats," Samajwadi Party leader Ravidas Mehrotra told ANI. "After becoming the Chief Minister, Akhilesh, for five years, worked earnestly and undertook various developmental projects. No one was able to make corruption charges against him and people must have voted for him acknowledging his work," he added. The lawmaker from the Lucknow constituency alleged that the Congress tried to defeat its party candidates in order to help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "The Samajwadi Party earnestly formed alliance with the Congress, but they did not reciprocate the same. Wherever our ministers and candidates were contesting, the Congress contested their own candidates against us in order to help other political parties," Mehrotra said. "The Congress contested their own candidates from where I have been fighting elections. The Congress Party, till its last breath, fought against me. They did in order to help the BJP," he added. Mehrotra is not the only Samajwadi Party leader who has shown displeasure over the party's alliance with the Congress. Samajwadi Party patriarach Mulayam Singh Yadav and his aide Shivpal Yadav, on many ocaasions, have expressed similar views. The Samajwadi Party and the Congress forged a pre-poll alliance in Uttar Pradesh contesting on 298 and 105 seats respectively. (ANI)