The BSP, however, said it would wait for the results.
In a significant development, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav indicated that he was willing tie up with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in case of a hung assembly. The Samajwadi Party-Congress combine, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) are locked in a three-cornered battle in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.
Akhilesh told BBC Hindi on Thursday, "SP-Congress will form government. But if need be, no one wants President rule in state so that the BJP runs the state with a remote."
Akhilesh's comment comes as the exit polls predict a saffron wave in the state. The SP and the Congress forged a pre-poll alliance in UP, contesting on 298 and 105 seats respectively.
The SP chief told BBC that he did not want a BJP government in the state and would do anything to keep the party out. "No one wants President's rule in the state, so that BJP runs the government with a remote control," Akhilesh said.
Exit polls on UP Assembly Elections
However, responding to Akhilesh's offer, the BSP said it would wait for the results.
Meanwhile, SP's Naresh Agrawal said, "Akhilesh ji did not mention BSP or Behenji's name. The aim is to keep communal forces out of the state."
Earlier in the day, a Samajwadi Party leader had made a statement saying its alliance with Congress had not been beneficial. "It is my personal view that the Samajwadi Party reaped no benefit from its alliance with the Congress. The Samajwadi Party was capable enough to form its own government. In fact, had our party contested this election without any alliance, we would have got more seats," Samajwadi Party leader Ravidas Mehrotra told ANI.
"After becoming the Chief Minister, Akhilesh, for five years, worked earnestly and undertook various developmental projects. No one was able to make corruption charges against him and people must have voted for him acknowledging his work," he added.
The lawmaker from the Lucknow constituency alleged that the Congress tried to defeat its party candidates in order to help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"The Samajwadi Party earnestly formed alliance with the Congress, but they did not reciprocate the same. Wherever our ministers and candidates were contesting, the Congress contested their own candidates against us in order to help other political parties," Mehrotra said.
"The Congress contested their own candidates from where I have been fighting elections. The Congress Party, till its last breath, fought against me. They did in order to help the BJP," he added.
Mehrotra is not the only Samajwadi Party leader who has shown displeasure over the party's alliance with the Congress. Samajwadi Party patriarach Mulayam Singh Yadav and his aide Shivpal Yadav, on many occasions, have expressed similar views.
On Thursday, however, ahead of the exit polls, Mulayam expressed confidence of a favourable mandate in the assembly elections and said that his party's alliance with the Congress would achieve majority, adding that his son Akhilesh Yadav will yet again take over as the Chief Minister. "The alliance is getting majority in Uttar Pradesh. Akhilesh will be the Chief Minister," Mulayam said.
With ANI inputs.
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