Lack of trust likely to affect mutually beneficial electoral alliance in UP

Even as some enthusiasts are working on an electoral alliance between the SP and the Congress for the forthcoming 2017 elections, an analysis of the 2012 assembly election results puts forth insurmountable grey areas.

Going by the winner and the runner-up formula, often adopted for the sharing of assembly seats, 403 seats should be divided between the three partners (assuming Rashtriya Lok Dal is also an ally) in the order of 286 to the SP, 41 to the Congress and 18 to the RLD. On remaining 37 seats, BJP or BSP were either winner or runner-up.

The contentious seats are 21 seats, on which Congress and SP were either winner or runner up.