Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said that any decision about a possible grand alliance for the state Assembly polls would be taken by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. "I will give my suggestions only at party platform,” he said, according to PTI.

Asked about the possibility of an alliance between and ruling party and the Congress, the chief minister said, "If Samajwadi Party and Congress want alliance, will you (media) stop it...?" Congress election strategist Prashant Kishor met Mulayam Singh Yadav in Lucknow on Sunday. Kishor is believed to have held two sessions of discussion with the SP chief. He met Mulayam Singh Yadav once before in the past week.

The Sunday’s meeting took place a day after senior socialist leaders attended SP’s silver jubilee function. Political circles are abuzz with rumours about a grand alliance in Uttar Pradesh along the lines of the Mahagathbandhan formed in Bihar before the Assembly polls in that state. The SP was a part of the Bihar alliance before it walked out over seat-sharing.

On November 3, Akhilesh Yadav launched Vikas Rath Yatra as part of his campaign for the 2017 elections. The rally brought together Mulayam Singh Yadav, his brother Shivpal Yadav and the incumbent chief minister on the same dais – a show of unity that has been missing from the party over the past few months. Shivpal Yadav, who has had his differences with his nephew, endorsed Akhilesh publicly.

Rumours are rife that the infighting within the party in the run-up to Assembly elections has led to the chief minister’s supporters functioning independently from a separate office in Lucknow. The alleged family feud was triggered by party president Mulayam Singh Yadav appointing Shivpal, his brother, the state party chief. The move, which was reportedly implemented because of fears of an anti-incumbency vote, did not go down well with the chief minister, who then relieved his uncle of major portfolios in the Cabinet. Mulayam Singh Yadav had to intervene to bring the situation under control.