Will join hands with Congress for Gujarat polls: Sharad Yadav
October 25, 2017  18:07
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The breakaway faction of the Janata Dal-United will contest the Gujarat assembly polls in alliance with the Congress, its leader Sharad Yadav said today as he pitched for a 'minimum division' among opposition parties as they take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party there.

Yadav said he has spoken to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on the tie-up and suggested to him the alliances should be built in such a manner that 'division' among opposition parties is 'minimised as much as possible'.

To underline how a united opposition could take on the ruling party effectively, Yadav said the BJP could secure 'only 31 per cent' votes as against 69 per cent bagged by opposition in the 2014 general elections.

The Election Commission earlier today announced the schedule for assembly polls in Gujarat, which has seen over two decades of BJP-rule.

"We have already said it...we have already talked about alliance with the Congress. All efforts are being made to ensure that people remain united," Yadav told reporters at his residence New Delhi.

Asked whether the parties would take Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party along as they take on the BJP, Yadav said it is the Congress which is in the 'driving seat' in Gujarat and it has to decide who should be its alliance partners there.

"What we have discussed with Rahulji is that division is minimised as much as possible," he added.

To a question whether the JD -U group led by him and the Congress have discussed seat-sharing for the polls, Yadav said there has been no deliberation on the issue till now.

"That will be discussed by our unit there and the Congress," he added. -- PTI
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