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LUCKNOW: With the Assembly elections round the corner in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress has withdrawn support to the Mulayam Singh Yadav Government. A formal letter will be submitted to Governor T.V. Rajeswar on Thursday.

The Congress has 15 MLAs in the Assembly with an effective strength of 401(two seats are vacant and one is a nominated member of the Anglo-Indian community).

Pradesh Congress Committee president Salman Khurshid told a press conference here on Wednesday that the Samajwadi Party regime was insensitive to the plight of the common man. The law and order problem, corruption and the Nithari killings exposed the Government's inability to improve the situation.

Mr. Khurshid said the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) pulling its Ministers out of the Government was a contributory factor in the Congress decision. Stating that the Congress consistently opposed the SP Government's anti-people policies, he denied that the decision was delayed. The appropriate decision was taken at the appropriate time.

Congress Legislature Party leader Pramod Tiwari said the party had extended support to the Mulayam Government as it was worried about the consequences of communalism. However, not only were the people feeling insecure under the present regime but a new alliance of communal forces also emerged.

Earlier in the day, RLD Legislature Party leader Kokab Hameed presented a letter to Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey, requesting that the party be allotted seats on Opposition benches.

The Speaker conceded the plea.

Party position

Mr. Yadav enjoys the support of 209 MLAs, including 152 of the SP, 33 of the Loktantrik Bahujan Dal, at least 13 of the 16 Independents, two of the Uttar Pradesh Loktantrik Congress, one MLA of the CPI(M), six unattached members and two Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs, who joined the SP on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The BJP has 83 MLAs, the BSP 67, the Congress and the RLD have 15 each, and the Hindu Mahasabha and the Akhil Bharatiya Congress have one each.

Nine MLAs have been expelled from the House, but their case is sub judice.

The SP claimed it continued to enjoy a majority in the House. Addressing a press conference, Transport Minister Naresh Agarwal and Agriculture Minister Ashok Bajpai said the Government would prove its majority on the floor of the House.

On the SP withdrawing support to the United Progressive Alliance Government, they said it was for the leadership to decide.

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