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Cong workers divided over alliance with SP; ticket aspirants camping at party office in Delhi

Many ticket aspirants camping at the party office in New Delhi for over a week feel disheartened

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Ghulam Nabi Azad
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Both gloom and jubilation descended at the Congress headquarters on Tuesday, when the party General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad officially confirmed the party's alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) to contest the Assembly elections "under the leadership of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav." A formal final seat sharing decision would be announced within 24 to 36 hours.

Ticket aspirants camping at the party office for over a week felt disheartened. Minutes after Azad left, pandemonium ensued at the office lawn, with workers vying for mandate raised slogans against the party leadership and the alliance. Rampal Singh Yadav, who was supposed to contest from Mashira in Etah district said he has no face to show.

"Even if they had to forge an alliance, they should have done so a year ago," he told DNA. A year ago, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi invited us to campaign against the SP. "He also coined the slogan 27 Saal, UP Behaal (27 years, UP in ruins) for us to go around and apprise people about the misrule and lawlessness of the Akhilesh government. With what face will I now go to people asking them to vote for the SP?" he said.

Ishwar Chandra from Basti in Eastern UP also had similar woes. He said just few months ago he along with other workers toiled to make Rahul Gandhi's 2500-km Kisan Yatra a grand success.

But there were others who were euphoric at the announcement. Etrat Hussain Babar from Sambal said, he doesn't rue of losing mandate to the SP candidate. "We will fight together to form an alliance. At least we have a chance to be in power now after 27 years. It isn't possible for us to win the elections alone," he said. Chaudhry Shamim Ahmed from Amroha said, a tie-up in UP like Bihar, will keep the BJP out, and will give party workers a chance to share power.

Hints of an alliance also came from former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit projected by the Congress as its chief ministerial candidate in the Uttar Pradesh elections. "I would like to gracefully withdraw as we cannot have two CM candidates for the UP state polls," she said, indicating that the party has already decided to project Akhilesh as the joint CM candidate of the new alliance.

"We are forging an alliance to form the government," Azad said while skirting a question on the grand alliance, by roping in smaller parties. He said so far the Congress and SP were engaged in deciding the nitty-gritty of seat sharing.

Congress sources however said, both sides have already decided who will contest which seats amid the possibility of both fielding candidates in some constituencies for "friendly fights". Congress is aiming at 100 seats in the 403-member Assembly against its 20 MLAs in the present House.

Azad also inducted BSP's Sahibabad MLA Amarpal Sharma in the Congress, just a day after he was expelled by BSP Supremo Mayawati on Monday. Accusing Mayawati of sacking him just because he refused to fulfil her demand of Rs 5 crore to give him the ticket again, he said he was contemplating to contest as an independent but felt happy to be welcomed in the Congress. He had won the last Assembly election from Sahibabad in Ghaziabad district with a record margin of 1.26 lakh votes.

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