Once an arch-rival Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati will address a joint rally at 12.30 pm on Friday in Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri.
It will be the first time that Yadav and Mayawati will be sharing the stage since 1995.
कल लोकसभा क्षेत्र मैनपुरी और आँवला में होगी महागठबंधन की संयुक्त महारैली।
आप भी जुड़ें हमारे साथ – चलें #MahaGathbandhan से #MahaParivartan की ओर।
एक भी वोट न घटने पाए
एक भी वोट न बँटने पाए pic.twitter.com/QccIiFDjMX— Samajwadi Party (@samajwadiparty) April 18, 2019
With keeping their more than two decades of animosity aside, the spectacle of the bitter enemies sharing the stage is really the essence of the opposition gathbandhan (alliance) in Uttar Pradesh to take on the BJP in the ongoing general election.
The father of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Mulayam Singh is contesting the election from Mainpuri, a family stronghold. It is a safe seat for the Samajwadi patriarch, so getting Mayawati to address a rally here is loaded with optics.
The effort from both parties is to showcase their friendship and ensure the smooth transfer of votes wherever the gathbandhan has fielded joint candidates. Earlier, Mulayam Singh had cited health issues to skip three joint rallies held earlier in Deoband, Badaun and Agra.
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Besides Mulayam Singh, both Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati will address the rally along with Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh.
Last year, the two parties successfully collaborated to win by-polls in BJP strongholds like Kairana, Gorakhpur and Phulpur.
Mainpuri will go to poll in the third phase on April 23. Results for all the 543 Lok Sabha seats will be announced on May 23.