Rivals SP, BSP unite in bid to beat Modi in 2019 Lok Sabha elections

As of now, it is not clear how the seats will be allotted and what role the main opposition Congress party will have in the state

Two political rivals in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh will form a alliance in a bid to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in national election scheduled for May, leaders of the parties said.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), both of whom command large support bases among Uttar Pradesh state's working class and are led by former chief ministers, will contest the election as a team, they said.

Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous state and accounts for about a sixth of all members of the parliament. Barring a couple of exceptions