SP to field 33 candidates for state polls, refuses to divulge names

The Maharashtra unit of the Samajwadi Party (SP) has announced that it will contest from 33 seats. However, despite much insistence, the party refuses to divulge the name of a single candidate, fearing that the Congress and the NCP will lure SP candidates to their side.

A party leader justifies, "We are not ready to announce the name as we are afraid that the Congress-NCP will lure them to their side. We have announced the name of the constituencies so as to maintain the confidence of our candidates and also to keep a pressure on Congress and NCP, so that they take a decision on allying with SP."

The SP has bee nseeking an alliance with the Congress and NCP since the past two months citing consolidation of "secular votes". However the two parties, which are already at loggerheads for seat-sharing, are yet to respond to the SP's offer.

When asked, Abu Azmi, the state party president and MLA, claimed, "We have received so many applications from aspirants, hence names are not being announced."
When further questioned about the hurry to call a press conference when names were not finalised, Azmi admitted that the party is apprehensive about the outcome of announcing the names, but refused to speak further. He only confirmed his own candidature from the Mankhurd Shivajinagar seat, which he currently holds.
Azmi insisted that the SP is still hoping for an alliance and will compromise with the Congress-NCP, even if they give only four assembly constituencies which it won in the 2009 polls.

Talking about Azmi's candidature, a Congress leader said, "The SP has completely lost ground and even Azmi's own seat is in danger, which is why he is so desperate."

A young Congress spokesperson and professor at Rizvi Law College, Al Nasser Zakaria, is said to be eyeing the seat.