Summary:
After its alliance with the Maharashtra's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) failed, the Samajwadi Party (SP) is now eager to join hands with Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led front for the forthcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. The SP, which has just one seat in the state assembly and in order to formalise the alliance, is insisting the Congress party for at least three assembly constituencies, of which two are in Mumbai. In Maharashtra, during the Lok Sabha elections, the SP and BSP, had replicated their short-lived alliance in Uttar Pradesh, but could not make their presence felt. While SP Maharashtra and Mumbai chief Abu Asim Azmi represents Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar in the state legislative assembly, party corporator Raees Shaikh is eager to contest from Byculla, which is represented by the AIMIM's Waris Pathan. "We will put forth rational demands to the Congress party to prevent division of secular votes....