In the middle of cycle race, Akhilesh Yadav working out a deal with Congress, RLD?

Even as the Samajwadi Party feud seems far from over, Akhilesh Yadav is inching closer to a pre-poll agreement with the Congress and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RJD).

If party insiders are to be believed, the Uttar chief minister and his political managers have been quietly working behind the scenes to cobble up an alliance with the Congress and Ajit Singh's RLD to offset the losses in the event of a split in the SP.

Sources close to both the parties — Congress and SP — have told India Today that the three parties have reached a broad agreement on seat-sharing. Though a final agreement is yet to be inked, the sources claimed that they have agreed on 300 seats for SP, 78 to 80 for Congress, and rest for the RLD.

The Congress had initially asked for close to 140 seats while the RLD wanted 50 seats. All sides, however, pared down their demands following detailed negotiations.

While the CM is said to be in touch with both Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi, the nitty grity are being worked out by AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad and RLD's Jayant Singh.

Things are expected to gain further momentum with Rahul Gandhi back in the national capital after an 11-day vacation abroad.

In no mood to waste more time, the Akhilesh camp is planning a whirlwind campaign across the state. He also plans to hold joint rallies with Gandhi and Singh. Several leaders, including West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, her Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar and RJD supremo Lalu Yadav have already "promised" to campaign in favour of the combine.

"The UP elections are not just about the state. The results will have a huge impact overall. Hence, it's important to stop the BJP from coming to power in Uttar Pradesh," says SP Rajya Sabha MP Neeraj Shekhar.

Also read: Has Akhilesh Yadav shot himself in the foot by going after Mulayam?