Secular parties should join hands to defeat BJP in next Lok Sabha polls: Shivpal Yadav

Samajwadi Party state unit president Shivpal Yadav on Thursday claimed that his party would emerge victorious in the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh elections slatted next year and called on all secular parties to join forces together to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in next Lok Sabha polls.

Yadav told ANI that everything is fine within the party and all the members were together today and would be together in future as well.

"Akhilesh Government was made with the obvious majority of people. We have said this before that in 2017 also we will form a government with the consensus of people and after this all secular parties must join together so that in 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party looses the elections," said Yadav.

"Today as well I asserted on the importance of staying in discipline. And anyone who does not follow that principle will face action. Anyone who has something to say must talk directly to Netaji as he is the Party chief and he will take the final decision," he added.

Launching his bid for a second term as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav today started a state-wide rath yatra named 'Vikas Rath Yatra'.

The 'Vikas Rath Yatra', which was flagged off from the state capital, is organised to convey a message of unity in the ruling party and to discuss the agenda of development and other social welfare schemes ahead of the state assembly elections.

Akhilesh will travel 75 km in Lucknow and neighbouring Unnao atop a modified Mercedes bus, which can also be called a Mercedes "rath" from Lucknow.

All schools in the state capital and Unnao have been shut owing to the 'VVIP movement', which is all set to bring the state capital and the Lucknow-Kanpur highway to a grinding halt.

According to report, a cavalcade of over thousands SUVs and trucks will seek to send a message to the party leadership that Akhilesh is the 'most acceptable' face of Samajwadi Party.