The Congress will not field its candidates for the bypolls to nine seats in Uttar Pradesh amid a deadlock with the Samajwadi Party, Congress General Secretary Avinash Pandey confirmed on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi along with the Congress' Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Rai, Congress general secretary Avinash Pande said party workers and leaders would unconditionally work to ensure the victory of Samajwadi Party candidates or that of other INDIA bloc parties.
The Congress leader said the prevailing political circumstances were not about strengthening the organisation or the party but about protecting the Constitution.
The announcement from the Congress comes a day after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said all INDIA bloc candidates would contest the bypolls in Uttar Pradesh on its 'cycle' election symbol. However, Pande clarified that the candidate and symbol both would be of the Samajwadi Party or any other INDIA bloc ally, and not of the Congress.