Against the backdrop of the tussle over seat-sharing for state assembly elections among Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has said that “there is no place for sacrifice in politics”.

“If MVA does not keep Samajwadi Party in alliance for Maharashtra polls, then the party (SP) will contest elections on seats where it enjoys public support in the state,” Akhilesh Yadav said on Sunday.

“The Maharashtra state president of the Samajwadi Party will decide. First, we will try to be in an alliance. But, if they (MVA) won’t keep us in the alliance, we will contest on those seats where we will get votes or we have our organisation working there. We will contest those seats, which will not harm the alliance. But, in politics, there is no place for sacrifice,” Akhilesh Yadav said.

The MVA is yet to decide on the Samajwadi Party’s long-pending demand of five seats in the Maharashtra assembly elections. Akhilesh’s party has targeted the alliance multiple times for delaying a decision on SP’s demand. According to Samajwadi Party Maharashtra chief Abu Azmi, if seats are not given to the party, then it will have no option but to contest alone.

A Samajwadi Party leader monitoring the process of seat-sharing with MVA here said, “SP leaders spoke to Sharad Pawar on Saturday. He said that we will decide today but I did not receive any call today. I think that we are going to face betrayal like the previous two terms. Looks like they don’t want to give seats to the Samajwadi Party.”

He said, “The SP favours the cohesion and stability of MVA to prevent the division of votes. If they don’t pay attention to us then we won’t have an option but to contest alone.”

Sources in the SP said here that the party was disappointed with MVA’s approach towards seat sharing.

SP is now planning to contest at least 20 seats in Maharashtra. Abu Azmi has already warned MVA’s top leaders that any harm to the alliance due to split in votes will be the result of their ignorance.