The Samajwadi Party (SP) has announced its second list of 22 candidates for the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh amid strained ties with its INDIA grouping ally Congress over the formation of alliance in the state.
The SP announced its second list late on Wednesday night. It has, thus, announced 31 candidates for the November 17 elections to the 230-member assembly of the BJP-ruled state.
The Congress released its first list of 144 candidates on Sunday and is likely to declare nominees for remaining seats on Friday, sources said.
Among others, the SP has nominated Shivangi Yadav from Prithvipur constituency in Niwari district. Its first list featured her mother and former MLA Meera Yadav who has been fielded from the Niwari constituency in the district.
Shamshul Hasan was nominated from Narela, Shama Tanveer from Bhopal Central and Rahul Maran (Rawat) from Huzur. All three seats are in Bhopal district.
The process of filing of nomination papers will start from October 21.
On Thursday, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said his party leaders would not have answered calls from the Congress for a meeting in Madhya Pradesh had he known that the INDIA alliance was confined to the national level.
"....the manner in which the Samajwadi Party was treated, they (Congress) will get to see the same treatment here (in Uttar Pradesh)," he said.
In the 2018 Madhya Pradesh elections, the SP had won one seat (Bijawar in Bundelkhand region) and finished second on five, securing 1.3 per cent votes in alliance with the tribal Gondwana Gantantra Party.
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