SP, Congress to jointly contest UP polls

Lucknow, Jan 22
The Samajwadi Party and the Congress will jointly contest the Uttar Pradesh assembly election on 298 and 105 seats respectively, the two parties announced on Sunday.

Samajwadi Party state President Naresh Uttam told the media at a hotel here that his party was entering into an alliance with Congress to fight "communal forces".

The two parties also intended to make Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav the Chief Minister again, he said.

Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Raj Babbar, a Bollywood actor who was once in the Samajwadi Party, said the alliance will be led by Akhilesh Yadav and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.

The alliance will be "above caste and politics of religion", he said.