Sources in the NCP told The Indian Express that the decision not to contest any Lok Sabha seat in UP was taken after the SP not only spurned the party's demand to be allowed to contest in at least six to eight seats but also refused to withdraw its candidate from the Varanasi constituency.

The SP had offered the NCP three Lok Sabha seats including Pauri and Almora (in the Uttarkhand region) and Varanasi, but earlier this week it unilaterally decided to field its candidate from Varanasi, bringing the alliance to breaking point.