Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) chief Shivpal Yadav on Monday said that his party’s priority was to form an alliance with the Samajwadi Party for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and asked for 100 seats in the coalition, reported PTI.

Shivpal Yadav and his nephew and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had a falling out ahead of 2017 Assembly elections. Shivpal Yadav had claimed that he wanted unity in the Samajwadi Party, but under Akhilesh Yadav, neither he nor party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav were treated with respect.

He had floated the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) in 2018.

Earlier in November, Akhilesh Yadav had said he was open to forming an alliance with his uncle’s party. There were reports of a possible reunion between the two parties during party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav’s 82 birthday on Monday. However, no such announcement was made.

Referring to the reports, Shivpal Yadav said at a different event on Monday that people of Uttar Pradesh had hopes of a reunion but there was no positive result.

“We want unity as it has power,” Yadav said. “Our priority is to form an alliance with the SP. There is little time [left for the elections]. Whatever decision has to be taken should be taken soon. I am saying for the past two years that elections should be contested unitedly.”

He gave Akhilesh Yadav a week’s time to decide on the alliance.

“If a decision is not made, the PSPL will organise a big conference in Lucknow after a week and take suggestions [from party members] and a decision will be taken by the party’s parliamentary board,” Shivpal Yadav said.

The Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) chief said he has accepted all of Samajwadi Party’s conditions, including Akhilesh Yadav as the chief ministerial candidate.

In turn, he demanded: “Give me 100 seats and we will contest [the elections] together.”

Shivpal Yadav said that the Samajwadi Party can conduct a survey and decide on offering seats to members of the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia). He said that his party’s leaders who have the capability to win the polls should be given tickets.

Shivpal Yadav also claimed that he could have become the chief minister in 2003 if he wanted. But, he claimed, he gave up the position for Mulayam Singh Yadav despite the fact that his own party and other leaders wanted to see him as the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.

The Samajwadi Party is fighting the upcoming polls in alliance with regional outfits Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal. The elections will be held early next year.

Rashtriya Lok Dal confirms alliance with Samajwadi Party

Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Singh Chaudhary on Tuesday said that the outfit has confirmed an alliance with the Samajwadi Party for the Uttar Pradesh elections, NDTV reported.

Talks on seat-sharing between the two parties are in the final stages and a formal announcement on the alliance will be made soon, Chaudhary told the news channel. He added that there was “no question” of the Rashtriya Lok Dal allying with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Earlier on Tuesday evening, Chaudhary and Akhilesh Yadav tweeted photos with each other.

“Badhte kadam [advancing steps],” Chaudhary said in his tweet. Meanwhile, Yadav posted the photo with a caption that read: “Jayant Chaudhary ji ke saath badlaav ki or [Towards change, with Jayant Chaudhary).”