Alliance with Samajwadi Party sealed, says Congress

Samajwadi Party and the Congress have sealed an alliance for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, news agency ANI has reported.

The Congress has agreed to contest in 105 seats. The grand old party had initially demanded 110 seats before Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party agreed to concede six more seats than the 99 seats it had offered on Saturday.

Congress sources said on Sunday morning that the two sides have worked around their differences to clinch the alliance.

"Wrong to suggest lightweights were dealing on behalf of Cong. Discussion was at highest level-b/w CM(UP),GS I/C&Priyanka Gandhi" ANI tweeted quoting Congress leader Ahmed Patel.

Akhilesh Yadav will ask voters to re-elect him as Chief Minister with the Congress as his junior partner in Uttar Pradesh.

Talks between the Congress and the SP appeared to collapse on Saturday over seat-sharing, forcing Congress President Sonia Gandhi to intervene and speak to Akhilesh on the phone.