Now,SP wants friendly contest in Varanasi

With the Congress continuing to press for friendly contests in some Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh represented by the Samajwadi Party...

With the Congress continuing to press for friendly contests in some Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh represented by the Samajwadi Party (SP),its ally for the forthcoming elections seems to have decided to pay the party back in its own coin by demanding friendly contests in an equal number of constituencies held by the Congress.

While the SP is learnt to have come around to the Congresss demand for a friendly contest in at least two constituencies Pratapgarh and Farrukhabad the party has made it clear that it expects a reciprocal gesture in Varanasi and Aligarh constituencies,both of which are currently held by the Congress.

SP general secretary Amar Singh,who has been authorised as the partys pointsman for the seat-sharing agreement with the Congress,is understood to have put forth this demand during his meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday. Sources said that an informal agreement for reciprocal friendly contests within the SP was arrived at after the recently concluded Legislative Council elections in UP,where the Congress failed to get its candidate elected. Former BJP leader Kalyan Singhs recently forged alliance with the SP has also played into its demands.

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The SP state unit is learnt to have given the feedback that senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi,who has been announced as the BJPs candidate from Varanasi,may easily defeat sitting Congress MP Rajesh Mishra. The Samajwadi Party has reportedly argued that it is in a better position to win the Varanasi seat than the incumbent Congress leader,and a friendly contest here would benefit both parties.

Similarly,the party has contested that a SP leader would fare better than the Congresss sitting candidate in Aligarh,which has a relatively large Lodh community the SPs rationale is that its recent pact with Kalyan Singh,considered to be the most influential Lodh leader in the state,would work to its advantage.

The SP has already announced its candidates from 52 out of 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state,leaving only 28 seats for negotiations with Congress. The SP had previously indicated that it would leave 15 seats for the Congress and had rejected demands for so-called friendly contests. The SPs demands may come as a damper to the Congress,which was pleased when its ally came around and agreed to a friendly contest in some seats.