Mayawati, Akhilesh hold meeting in Lucknow

BSP chief Mayawati and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav met on Wednesday to discuss the poll strategy for the upcoming elections, according to a source.

The meeting which lasted for about an hour and a half might have witnessed talks about seat share and other relevant strategies for elections.

On Tuesday the BSP supremo had said, "BSP-SP alliance is working with respect and is considered as 'first and perfect' in UP, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh. This alliance is capable of defeating BJP and bringing about societal changes which are needed for national interest."

Incidentally, the meeting of the BSP and SP leaders came after Priyanka Gandhi Vadra paid a visit to Bhim army chief Chandrashekhar Azad in a Lucknow hospital earlier on Wednesday. Azad was hospitalised after he complained of high blood pressure and fell unconscious while he and his supporters were being taken into police custody for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct.

Earlier, SP and BSP, while announcing their alliance, said they will contest 37 and 38 seats, respectively, in the upcoming polls.

The two parties had also agreed not to field candidates from Rai Bareli and Amethi, currently represented by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi, respectively.

In Uttar Pradesh, the highest number of Lok Sabha seats is at stake. Congress has decided to contest all 80 seats after the party was not made a part of the SP-BSP alliance.

The Congress leadership had said that they will fight the Lok Sabha polls with 'full force' in Uttar Pradesh.

It is worth mentioning that Congress fought Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in alliance with SP in 2017. However, the BJP had registered a landslide victory.