Pragtisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) founder Shivpal Yadav on Tuesday announced that his party would contest the  Lok Sabha elections in alliance with Peace Party-led by Ayub Khan. The PSPL also announced to join hands with Rashtriya Krantikari Samajwadi Party of Gopal Rai for the general elections.

While Shivpal said that the alliance would contest all 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP with the objective of defeating the BJP, the PSPL and its two alliance partners were yet to work out seat-sharing formula among them. 

Shivpal Yadav is set to try his poll luck from Ferozabad Lok Sabha seat and will be pitted against his nephew and sitting MP Akshay Yadav. Akshay is the son of Samajwadi Party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav. Presently, Shivpal is an SP MLA from Jaswantnagar Assembly segment which is the part of Ferozabad Lok Sabha seat.

“I am trying my best to set up a secular morcha to fight against the BJP and several parties have joined the alliance. Soon leaders of these parties will discuss seat-sharing formula,” Shivpal said.

Referring to elder brother and SP patron, Shivpal said that if his mentor Mulayam Singh said anything, it would be the final decision for him too. “I have never disobeyed Netaji and will follow his instructions in future too,” the PSPL chief said.

Accusing the Congress, SP and BSP of weakening the anti-BJP secular alliance by refusing to join hands with PSPL, Shivpal said: “I favoured a strong alliance of secular parties but some parties preferred their narrow political interests rather than the destiny of the country.’’

The PSPL chief added: “Farmers, youths and minorities have been ditched by the BJP and it is a high time that the country get rid of the ruling party. Muslim cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan of Dargah of Ala Hazrat, Bareilly, and several others have expressed their support to his party.

After the alliance was announced, Peace Party chief Dr Ayub said that smaller parties were seeking participation in the morcha rather than giving support. “It is unfortunate that some secular parties are creating confusion which is weakening the morcha,” he said. “We have joined hands to prevent the BJP from retaining power at the Centre as it is spreading hatred in the name of religion. Several smaller parties have joined us and more are to join soon,” Ayub claimed.

Meanwhile, the PSPL announced its first list of 31 candidates for Lok Sabha polls on Tuesday. Prominent among them were Sanjay Saxena from Rampur, Rajiv Mishra from Kanpur, Haji Mohammad Ubesh from Saharanpur, Dr Omveer Singh from Muzaffarnagar and Chaudhary Ilam Singh Gujjar from  Bijnore.