Sonia Gandhi not to campaign in five poll-bound states

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi will not campaign in any of the five poll-bound states, said sources.

Responding to a question if Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and the Congress president would campaign for the alliance, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said that they had "their blessing” at a recent joint press conference in Lucknow with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

Mulayam, however, had later said that he does not approve the alliance with the Congress and will not campaign for his son.

"The Samajwadi Party was capable enough to contest and win the elections alone. There was no need for the alliance. What about our leaders who could not get a ticket due to the alliance? What will they do for five years?" he asked.

After months of negotiations and a last minute intervention by Sonia and her daughter Priyanka Gandhi, the two parties reached a final seat-sharing arrangement on January 22 with the Congress getting 105 and Samajwadi Party 298 of the 403 assembly seats.

Elections will be held in the state in seven phases from February 11 till March 8.