Bhopal: In a fresh setback to the Congress party’s proposed grand alliance, Samajwadi Party announced on Saturday that it would tie-up with Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) for the upcoming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who was on a two-day trip to MP, announced that his party would join hands with GGP, which holds significant influence over several tribal-dominated constituencies in the state.
Praising GGP’s grassroots reach, Yadav said the party is tirelessly working on issues such as forest and land. “It’s an alliance of parties that are present in urban areas and are connected to grassroot level,” he said.
The announcement came hours after SP headquarters in Uttar Pradesh announced that the party would contest two dozen seats in Madhya Pradesh. The party has already invited applications from potential candidates by October 3.
SP, which has a strong OBC-Muslim vote base, is seeking to find a foothold in tribal regions with the alliance with GGP that garners significant support among tribal pockets in Vindhya and Mahakaushal region.
Heera Singh Markam, the head of GGP said that tickets would be distributed without taking into account factors such as caste and community. “Merit would be the sole criteria for ticket distribution,” Markam said.
Yadav, however, did not rule out the possibility of a grand alliance in MP as he said he was still hopeful of an alliance of like-minded parties to end BJP’s rule in the state.
Congress had proposed a grand alliance to take on the BJP in Madhya Pradesh but the SP had on Wednesday put a question mark by inviting applications from the candidates for the elections in the state. Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party, too, has announced that it would go it alone in the assembly polls.
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