Alliance like Ganga Jamuna Milan

Rahul Gandhi, who opened the joint media conference, said he was “personally happy” that the alliance has worked out. “The alliance is against Modi’s politics… Akhilesh and I have a personal equation as well as political relation”.

“Rahul and I are like two wheels of the same cycle… No one doubts that we will win all seats,” Akhilesh Yadav said.The alliance is like Ganga Jamuna Milan they opined. Asked whether Sonia Gandhi and Mulayam Singh Yadav will do electioneering, Rahul Gandhi said “campaign strategy will not be divulged”.

Rahul Gandhi also said he would “continue to support Priyanka (sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) the way she supports me”. “She has been instrumental in major party decisions,” he added. In a first, the party has credited Ms Vadra for steering the alliance.Playing down the issue of differences with Samajwadi Party over Amethi and Raebareli seats, Mr Gandhi said it was a “peripheral issue and not a central one”.

Akhilesh Yadav, who recently wrested control of the party from his father Mulayam Singh, is hoping that the alliance will help it counter rival Mayawati and the BJP in the elections which begins next month.

The tagline for the parties’ joint campaign reads “UP koh yeh saath pasand hai (UP likes this tie-up)” – a point both leaders emphasized on during the media address.

Even before the alliance materialized, the two leaders had indicated amity, with Mr Gandhi terming Mr Yadav “a good boy”, who reciprocated with the same phrase.Under the terms of the alliance announced last Sunday, the Congress will contest 105 seats, the Samajwadi Party the rest of the state’s 403 seats.

The 10 assembly seats in the Gandhi turf of the parliamentary constituencies of Amethi and Raebareli were said to have been a key point of disagreement in intense negotiations between the two parties. They later decided to contest 5 seats each.