Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav set to woo voters together, outline plan for SP-Congress campaign

The SP-Congress campaign will be led by Rahul with Sister Priyanka , along with Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple Yadav later this week.

Lucknow, Jan 11: Amid the ongoing feud in the Samajwadi Party, the Akhikesh faction is all set to form an alliance with Congress for upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections.  The Congress-Samajwadi Party appears to be racing to kickstart a joint election campaign. The campaign will be led by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi with Sister Priyanka Gandhi, along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple Yadav later this week. As Rahul returned from his overseas trip on Tuesday, a final meeting to seal the partnership may be held this week.

As per report by TOI, the tussle in the Yadav family has delayed the announcement of the alliance because Akhilesh insisted on clarity on whether he retains control of the bicycle symbol. Also, a petition submitted by both sides to the Election Commission is pending . The EIC is expected to hear them out on January 13. As per report by TOI, Sheila Dikshit who is Congress’s chief ministerial face in UP suggested that she would step aside to accommodate the duo Akhilesh and Rahul, if they take centre-stage in Uttar Pradesh.(ALSO READ: Ready to withdraw as CM candidate if Congress, Samajwadi Party form alliance, says Sheila Dikshit)

Congress is known to have pushed for a 105-seat partnership with the SP for the 403-member House. There has been a tussle between the father-son duo in the Yadav family. Akhilesh and father Mulayam have been on extreme ends over the pre-poll alliance decision.  In December last year, it was reported that Akhilesh held talks with Priyanka Gandhi where both sides showed their willingness for alliance ahead of the UP polls. Meanwhile, Ghulam Nabi  who is the Congress general secretary urged ‘secular forces’ to close ranks on Tuesday.