Mayawati likely to meet Sonia Gandhi, ahead of LS poll result

While Opposition leaders are rallying together in efforts to form an anti-NDA front, BSP chief Mayawati is likely to meet UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi here, ahead of the announcement of the Lok Sabha election result on May 23.

This comes in the wake of Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu meeting with Sonia Gandhi today as he continued his attempts to cobble a front to keep BJP out of power in case it falls of majority in the elections. Naidu had also met Mayawati on Saturday in Lucknow.

According to sources, Congress is working hard to get all alliance partners on board before the general elections are announced.

According to sources, Congress managers are attempting to fix a meeting between Sonia Gandhi and Mayawati. Congress is hopeful that Mayawati will support any government other than BJP, even though the BSP supremo had lashed out at Congress throughout her campaigning.

However, she had said that votes of the grand alliance in Uttar Pradesh would go to the Congress, which contested on two seats -Rae Barelli and Amethi- fought by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Nothing was disclosed about the Naidu-Sonia meeting here and what was discussed but it is understood that the two leaders went over the options before non-BJP parties in the post-poll scenario.

On Saturday Naidu had undertaken a hectic round of discussions with parties opposed to BJP when he met leaders including Congress president Rahul Gandhi and the mahagathbandhan leaders -- Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati in Lucknow. Naidu also met NCP chief Sharad Pawar, CPI leader Sudhakar Reddy and Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav in Delhi.

Meanwhile Sonia Gandhi has also invited leaders of the UPA and sounded some others including Odisha and Telangana chief ministers Naveen Pattnaik and K Chandrasekhar Rao respectively as well as YSR Congress party chief Jaganmohan Reddy for a meeting on May 23, when the results will be out.

She has also convened a meeting of party leaders on May 22, for preparations for the Thursday meeting.