SP-Congress alliance hits rough patch; Priyanka Gandhi sends emissary to Akhilesh Yadav

As ego tussles and haggling over seats threaten to torpedo the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance, Priyanka Gandhi jumped in to dispatch her personal emissary to Lucknow for talks with UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

The bid to salvage the situation came after SP dropped a bombshell by releasing two lists of 210 candidates, including nine seats held by the Congress and the seats falling in the Gandhi borough of Amethi and Rae Bareli, a clear no-go area if an alliance is to come about.

SP sources said the emissary — Dheeraj — is lodged in a Lucknow hotel and waiting for a call from the chief minister. Congress leaders confirmed Priyanka’s intervention but did not provide details on the emissary.