If Samajwadi Party splits, will pick Akhilesh over Mulayam: NCP

NCP will choose Akhilesh Yadav's "original Samajwadi Party" over his father Mulayam Singh, as it seeks to be a part of the proposed grand alliance in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. NCP General Secretary Tariq Anwar said the "good image" of UP Chief Minister will greatly help the proposed grand alliance to defeat the BJP. 

"The image of Akhilesh Yadav will greatly help the grand alliance. People have accepted him as the face of the party," Anwar said. "The priority at this time is the formation of a grand alliance between the Samajwadi Party, Congress, the Janta Dal United and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) to defeat the BJP. 

"NCP would like to be a part of it. If we stop the communal forces in a state like Uttar Pradesh, then it will send a strong message across the country. When asked, whom will the NCP back as the battle between father and son in the Samajwadi Party rages on, Anwar said, "Since 80 per cent of law makers are with Akhilesh, his is the real Samajwadi Party. We will go with him." 

Also read | Samajwadi Party feud: Mulayam says if Akhilesh doesn't listen, he will fight against him

The NCP has a lone MLA Fateh Bahadur in the 403-member UP Legislative Assembly. "We are aware of our strength and we will seek to be a part of the alliance according to that. At many places, our candidates stood second or third. So, we may look for 20-25 seats," Anwar said.

Interestingly, in 2015, the NCP had walked out of the grand alliance in Bihar after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad had "unilaterally" announced seat sharing among the constituents of the grand alliance without even consulting the NCP. 

When asked about the alliance between the Congress and NCP in Goa, Anwar said no agreement has been reached in the coastal state yet, which will go to polls on February 4. He also hinted that the prospects of alliance between the Congress and NCP in up-coming civic polls in Maharashtra, including the one for the coveted Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) also seemed bleak.