Akhilesh Yadav Not to Contest Next UP Assembly Elections, Says 'Alliance Between SP-RLD Finalised'

Ahead of crucial UP assembly elections, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said he will not be contesting the polls scheduled to be held early next year. Yadav, who is a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, said an alliance between SP and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) for the elections has been finalised.

"Our alliance with RLD is final. Seat sharing is to be finalised," he said in an interview to PTI.

Yadav, who is also SP MP from Azamgarh, said he will “not be contesting the



assembly polls".

On being asked about taking his uncle Shivpal Yadav’s Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL) along in the upcoming elections, he said, “I don’t have any problem in this. He and his men will be given due honour".

The Samajwadi Party had failed to retain power in the 2017 UP assembly elections and had bagged only 47 seats. The BJP won the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls by winning a whopping 312 seats after which Yogi Adityanath was made the Chief Minister of the state.