Samajwadi to go it alone in Maharashtra polls

The Samajwadi Party has decided not to support or have an alliance with any other political party in the forthcoming assembly election in Maharashtra, its Mumbai unit chief Abu Asim Azmi said today.

The party would be holding a two-day workshop from May 29 to prepare its workers for the Maharashtra assembly election, he added.

Alleging that his party's supporters were misled by statements by both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress that the Samajwadi Party's ideals were close to them during the recent general election, Azmi told media-persons that his party would fight the Maharashtra election alone.

In Uttar Pradesh, he said, the party's strength in the Lok Sabha had gone up from 26 to 36, and that the Congress-led government in the centre should realise the significant role played by the Samajwadi Party in defeating heavyweights like Vinay Katiyar, Murli Manohar Joshi and Swami Chinmayanand.

Talking about the drought in Maharashtra, Azmi said the state should take advantage of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre and ask for Rs 1700 crore as drought relief.

He also urged the state government to take up the cases of innocent persons who have been in jail for long periods.

About the Prevention Of Terrorism Act, which his party has opposed consistently, he said, "The government should make sure that the law is not misused."