Smaller parties in the state, including AIMIM, Shiv Sena and actor Rajpal Yadav’s Sarv Sambhav Party (SSP) , have decided to contest assembly polls independently. While Shiv Sena will contest on 100 seats in UP, SSP will contest on 390 seats. Both the parties will declare their first list of candidates on Saturday. Though AIMIM has already declared names of 11 candidates, it will announce remaining candidates in couple of days.

Speaking to TOI, western UP in-charge of Shiv Sena, Lalit Mohan Sharma said, “Shiv Sena will contest state assembly polls from 100 seats, including 25 constituencies falling in west UP. The list of candidates for first and second phase of elections will be announced on Saturday. We will be contesting on our own as BJP does not prefer to form an alliance with us in UP. In the UP assembly polls 2017, Shiv Sena had contested 31 seats, but could not win a single seat.

Sharma added senior party leaders will held a meeting in Mumbai soon to decide on who will campaign in UP. While campaigning in the state, Shiv Sena will take up issue of cow slaughter, erratic power supply and deteriorating law and order condition in the state.
AIMIM, which is entering UP election fray for the first time, has decided to contest from nearly 100 seats independently. “We have currently 100 candidates and party’s chief Asaduddin Owaisi will take a final decision about the candidates. The final list will be out in couple of days, Shaukat Ali, UP president, AIMIM, told TOI. He added that party is unlikely to field candidates in Bareilly and Rampur.
“We will inform public that though Samajwadi Party had made many promises before last assembly elections to minority community, including reservation, it has not completed any of its promises, said Ali.
SSP, which is a year-old party founded by Bollywood actor Rajpal Yadav, has recently got its election symbol. Though the party has decided to contest a whopping 390 seats independently in UP, it does not has district organisations across the state. Sources said that the party plans to rope in rebel leaders who were denied tickets from their big parties. “We will release first list of candidates and election agenda on Saturday, said Sripal Yadav, national president of SSP.
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