New Delhi: With Congress and Samajwadi Party set to meet today to discuss seat sharing in Uttar Pradesh, the latter clearly stated that it would not give in to Congress demand for contesting seats it had won there in 2004,adding that the alliance needs to be a practical one.

"Congress is saying that it wants to retain all the seats they had won in UP during previous general elections. They also want friendly contests on seats where they had finished second.

"SP will not accept any such eventuality as we want a practical alliance in the state and I want the party's dignity to be protected," SP general secretary Amar Singh said here.

Referring to the discussions on seat sharing, Singh said he had been invited by Congress for a formal dialogue on seat sharing and a formal alliance in UP.

"I have been invited by the Congress for a formal discussion. I may possibly meet them today itself. I wanted to have an informal discussion with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul before any formal meeting, but I have been told that Rahul Gandhi may also attend today s meeting... Let's see what happens," he said.

Singh stressed on the requirement of confidence-building measures between the two parties, whose relations had hit a rough patch, after SP alleged that Congress had poached its four MLAs in Madhya Pradesh.

"I have suffered a lot of pain due to the intervention of middlemen," the SP leader said.
Source : PTI