Bengaluru: The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) on Friday claimed that they had a secret alliance with the Congress during the 2018 Assembly Elections in Karnataka. However, the Congress denied the claims made by SDPI Genera Secretary Illyas Tumbe.

He said that the SDPI had a deal with the Congress during the 2018 Karnataka Assembly polls

Tumbe confirmed an alliance with Congress. He said that the SDPI had a deal with the Congress during the 2018 Karnataka Assembly polls in order to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 2018, The Times Now had reported that the SDPI had withdrawn 25 candidates in the 2018 Karnataka assembly polls.

In return, the Congress reportedly promised support to the SDPI in three constituencies. However, the Congress denied such claims.

Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad during his interaction with  English News Channel Times Now said, An Alliance means you fight together. You don’t allow your candidates to contest where your ally contest. Show me the one seat where such thing happened.”

Arshad Further added, “Defeating BJP because BJP is fundamentalist is a communal organisation is in-principle the Congress party stand. BJP is the party which divides communities just to gain power. There is no question that in 2018 or any other election we had an alliance. We may have to see what he (Illayas Tumbe) had said because I have not seen his statement.”

Notably, the SDPI is considered the political wing of the banned Islamic organisation Popular Front of India (PFI). It was registered with the Election Commission of India on April 13, 2020.

The controversy erupted days ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections, The assembly polls are scheduled to take place in Karnataka in May this year. The Congress will be looking to come back to power in the southern state.