SP to back Congress for council poll

MUMBAI: The Samajwadi Party has decided to back Bhai Jagtap of the Congress in the December 27 legislative council elections. After a meeting of the party’s core committee on Saturday, Samajwadi Party legislator and party president in the state, Abu Asim Azmi, said that his party would support Bhai Jagtap to “check rising intolerance and attack on secular forces in the country”.
“This is the need of the hour.The prevailing situation in the country calls for defeating the communal forces. We have unanimously decided to vote for Bhai Jagtap and against Shiv Sena’s Ramdas Kadam and independent candidate Prasad Lad,” said Azmi. He added that Jagtap’s victory would “strengthen secular forces”.
Just before the 2014 assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress had entered into a poll alliance which broke within a day. A rebuffed Azmi had then accused the Congress of backstabbing him.
Subsequently, the Samajwadi Party “swallowed the insult” and even backed Congress heavyweight Narayan Rane, who fought and lost the Bandra east by-election.