Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections 2018: There is no end to Congress' woes in Madhya Pradesh as after Mayawati, SP President Akhilesh Yadav subs the Rahul Gandhi-led party. Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said that he will have to wait too long for Congress and will now consult Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) for the forthcoming Assembly election in Madhya Pradesh. “We have waited too long for the Congress. How much longer should we wait? We will now consult the GGP, with which we had an alliance, and the BSP for the coming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh,” Yadav told news agency PTI. SP had asked the Congress to show large-heartedness for the upcoming elections in Madhya Pradesh as delay in final announcement will making easy for smaller parties to declare their candidates. Recently, BSP president Mayawati parted ways with the Congress, alleging that the Rahul Gandhi-led party was adopting a stubborn attitude and it was out to finish her party.

Statement from Yadav comes hours after the Election Commission (EC) announced the dates for Assembly elections in as many as five states including Madhya Pradesh. As per the announcement made by EC, elections in Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram will be held on November 28. Chhattisgarh will vote in two phases on November 12 and 20. Voting in Rajasthan and Telangana will be held in single phase on December 7. Addressing a press conference earlier today, Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat said the term for the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly expires on January 7, 2019, while the tenure of the 40-member Mizoram Assembly is till December 15, 2018.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is ruling the state of Madhya Pradesh for last 15 years and incumbent Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took over the reins of power back in 2005. The state is expected to see a high-decibel political battle between BJP and the Congress during the polls. Even other parties including SP and BSP will play crucial parts in the upcoming Assembly elections.