Lok Sabha election: In Uttar Pradesh, SP, BSP give RLD three seats; Akhilesh says Congress part of 'mahagatbandhan'

Addressing a press conference with RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary, the son of party founder Ajit Singh, Yadav said the party would contest the Mathura, Baghpat and Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha seats in western Uttar Pradesh.

Lucknow: The Rashtriya Lok Dal will contest three Lok Sabha seats as part of an alliance with the SP and the BSP, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Tuesday and also declared that the Congress was very much part of the "mahagatbandhan". Addressing a press conference with RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary, the son of party founder Ajit Singh, Yadav said the party would contest the Mathura, Baghpat and Muzaffarnagar Lok Sabha seats in western Uttar Pradesh.

Jayant Chaudhary,RLD: Rashtriya Lok Dal will join the BSP-SP alliance in Uttar Pradesh. Our workers will work hard to ensure victory of the alliance on all seats of the state pic.twitter.com/wiwx2wEfJl

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 5, 2019

To repeated questions, the SP chief asserted that the Congress  was "very much in the alliance". Yadav said the alliance partners will jointly take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 seats. "We have left two seats (Amethi and Rae Bareli) for the party," he said. Asked if he would change his allies after the election, Jayant Chowdhary answered in the negative. He said this question should be put to the BJP. "I am happy to be associated with the SP as here I find the freedom to express myself," he said. The SP will contest 37 seats, the BSP 38, the RLD three while two seats have been left for the Congress, making it a total of 80 Lok Sabha seats.