Shiromani Akali DAl (SAD) to contest Uttar Pradesh Elections 2017 targets 30 seats, SAD in UP Elections 2017, SAD contesting UP Elections
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- Category: UP Political News
- Last Updated: Tuesday, 02 August 2016 11:57
Shiromani Akali DAl (SAD) to contest Uttar Pradesh Elections 2017 targets 30 seats, SAD in UP Elections 2017, SAD contesting UP Elections
In what could be a cause of worry for the BJP, one of its oldest allies, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), has started identifying “30-odd winnable seats” in Uttar Pradesh where it plans to field candidates in the 2017 Assembly elections.
Sources said the SAD leadership will soon tell the BJP leadership about its intention to field candidates for the UP polls. While doing so, it will also signal to the BJP that it is open to an alliance. The two parties are part of the ruling alliance in Punjab, which also goes to polls next year.
“We have been holding surveys for the past several months about the feasibility of Akali Dal entering the poll arena in UP, which has a substantial Punjabi-speaking population, including Sikhs. There are around 45 seats where Punjabis can either help a candidate of their choice win or spoil somebody else’s chance. We have identified these seats. We will either contest as part of a pre-poll alliance with the BJP or field candidates on our own. But, we have made up our mind that we will test the waters in the state,” said former UP cadre IAS officer Rai Singh, who has been appointed president of the SAD units in UP and Uttarakhand.
Apart from UP, the neighbouring Uttarakhand, which has a considerable number of Punjabis, especially in the fertile Terai region, is also on the SAD’s radar.