"All seats will be won by INDIA alliance and Samajwadi Party": Akhilesh Yadav on upcoming UP by-polls

Etawah, (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 10 (ANI): Ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly by-elections, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav expressed confidence in the victory, claiming that the SP, along with the INDIA alliance, will win all the seats.
However, when asked about the seat-sharing arrangements within the INDIA bloc, he stated that it is still to be discussed, after which considerations will be made.
"All the seats will be won by the INDIA -Samajwadi Party. We will discuss and consider the remaining seats."
Earlier in the day amid speculations of a rift in INDIA in Uttar Pradesh, Kannauj MP Akhilesh Yadav said on Thursday that the Opposition alliance will remain intact and the Samajwadi Party and Congress will fight together in the upcoming UP by-polls.

After offering tribute on the second death anniversary of Samajwadi party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav addressed the media in which he told about the current scenario of alliance in UP by-elections.
"INDIA alliance is intact in Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party and Congress will fight together in the upcoming UP by-elections," Akhilesh said.
On Wednesday, the Samajwadi Party (SP) announced six candidates for the upcoming by-elections to the State Legislative Assembly. Tej Pratap Yadav will contest from Karhal, while other candidates include Naseem Solanki from Sisamau, Mustafa Siddiqui from Phulpur, Ajit Prasad from Milkipur, Shobhavati Verma from Katehari, and Dr. Jyoti Bind from Majhwan.
However, soon after the announcement, Congress State Incharge Avinash Pandey said that no information was given to them about it and no discussion was held with the coordination committee of the INDIA bloc.
"It is true that no information was given to us about it. There has been no discussion with the coordination committee of the INDIA alliance yet. As far as the announcement of seats and contesting elections is concerned, whatever decision the Coordination Committee of INDIA alliance takes, it will be accepted by the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee. We are not overconfident in Uttar Pradesh but are fully confident and due to this, along with strengthening and empowering the organization, the work of election preparation has also started. Possibilities (of alliance) always remain till the end, it cannot be denied," Pandey said.
Speaking on it, UP Congress President Ajay Rai said, "Whatever in-charge (Avinash Pandey) has said will be done. The central leadership will take the final call. The alliance (with Samajwadi Party) will remain as usual.
"Meanwhile, bye-elections for 10 assembly seats in UP are expected later this year. The ten assembly seats scheduled for by-polls are Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Sisamau (Kanpur Nagar), Karhal (Mainpuri), Milkipur (Ayodhya), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj), and Kundarki (Moradabad).
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya stated that the BJP is well-prepared for the by-polls and is confident of regaining its seats, as well as potentially capturing those held by the Samajwadi Party."BJP is preparing rigorously from the booth level to the Vidhan Sabha level across all 10 constituencies. We are confident of not only reclaiming our seats but also capturing seats currently held by the Samajwadi Party," Maurya said.
Out of the ten seats going to the polls, five were previously won by the Samajwadi Party, three by the BJP, and one each by the Rashtriya Lok Dal and Nishad Party, both of which are NDA partners. (ANI)