A day after the Lok Sabha elections ended and exit polls predicted gains for the SP-BSP alliance in electorally crucial state Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav met BSP supremo Mayawati at her residence in Lucknow on Monday.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav reaches BSP Chief Mayawati’s residence in Lucknow. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/tSjhNEsVAf
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The meeting comes in the backdrop of efforts at opposition unity by another regional leader TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu. On Saturday, Naidu had met both Yadav and Mayawati in the UP capital separately to discuss possibility of non-BJP parties coming together in the event of a fractured verdict.
The exit polls showed the mahagatbandhan wresting several seats from the BJP in Uttar Pradesh where the saffron party had won 71 of the 80 seats.
The C Voter-Republic forecast gave the grand alliance in UP 40 seats against 38 for the NDA, while the Jan Ki Baat said the NDA may win 46-57 seats against 15-29 of the SP-BSP combine.
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ABP News predicted a huge gain for the SP-BSP duo loss for the BJP in the state, saying it may get only 22 seats while the opposition alliance may emerge victorious in 56 constituencies.
As per the seat-sharing agreement, the BSP had contested 38 seats and the SP 37 seats leaving three for a smaller RLD. While they decided not to field any candidate in Rae Bareli and Amethi, the stronghold of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi respectively.
In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the SP had managed to secured five seats, while Mayawati’s BSP could not win a single seat in UP.