"People have rejected SP-Congress alliance": Uttar Pradesh Dy CM Brajesh Pathak

"The alliance of Congress-Samajwadi party are going to get zero seats. Akhilesh Yadav and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will not be able to do anything. The people of the state have rejected them," Pathak told ANI.

"The anarchy (of the previous government) sends a chill down the spines of the people. People have rejected the corrupt policies of the Congress party. Congress is going to get zero seats in Uttar Pradesh...," he added.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi has "challenged" Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fight one election on issues like unemployment, inflation, and his policies.

Addressing a rally on Tuesday in Amethi, Priyanka said, "I challenge the Prime Minister to fight one election on unemployment, inflation and your policies. Tell the public once, what you have done for the poor, for the labourers, for the common man. He can't tell because he hasn't done anything."

The state has 80 Lok Sabha seats. As per the seat-sharing agreement, Congress will be contesting 17 seats and the Samajwadi Party 63.

Uttar Pradesh will witness the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 20.

This time, Jhansi, Amethi, Raebareli, Lucknow, Kaiserganj, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Banda, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Barabanki, Faizabad, and Mohanlalganj will go to the polls.

In the 2019 elections, turning the arithmetic of the SP-BSP 'Mahagatbandhan' in Uttar Pradesh upside down, the BJP and its ally Apna Dal (S) won 64 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats. The partners in the alliance, Akhilesh Yadav's SP and Mayawati's BSP could only muster 15 seats.

The seventh and final phase of general elections will be held on June 1.

The next round of voting will be held on May 20.

Polling for the first four phases was held on April 19, April 26, May 7 and May 13.

The general elections are being held in seven phases in a six-week marathon running from April 19 to June 1.

The counting and results will be declared on June 4. (ANI)