SP, RLD strike poll alliance

In the run-up to the assembly elections, the two opposition parties -- the Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) -- have reached an agreement over seat-sharing. Sources told ET that RLD will contest 36 seats, most of which will be in West UP. There is also a possibility that SP leaders will contest on the RLD symbol in two to three seats. SP president Akhilesh Yadav and RLD president Jayant Chaudhary are likely to announce the seat-sharing formula at a press conference later this month.

As per sources, the RLD had initially demanded 62 seats but the SP was not willing to give more than 30 seats. On Thursday night, Akhilesh Yadav and Jayant Chaudhary spoke over phone for a long time and during the discussions the final seat count was fixed at 36.

RLD has a presence in West UP and it will contest in around 32-33 seats in the region. It will also get one or two seats in east UP where it had demanded tickets for some of its party leaders. RLD will contest seats in Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Meerut, Bulandshahar, Mathura, Aligarh and a few other districts.