An effort to bring together anti-BJP forces in Uttar Pradesh fizzled out before it even began with Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Wednesday rejecting rival Samajwadi Party(SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s proposal for striking a united front like the Lalu-Nitish deal in Bihar.
Rebuffed by the Dalit leader – who on the contrary accused the SP of being in cohoots with the BJP — Mulayam said he will contest the elections alone against the BJP. On Wednesday morning, staunch rival Mulayam proposed that he was willing to have a tie-up with the BSP to follow the ‘Bihar model’ if RJD chief Lalu Prasad mediates to bring Mayawati on a common platform to jointly take on the BJP that swept the general elections winning 71 out of 80 parliamentary seats. While the SP got four seats, the BSP failed to open an account.
“If Laluji takes an initiative in this regard, I don’t have any issues in joining hands,” Yadav told reporters when his reaction was sought on Lalu Prasad’s suggestion.
Published 13 August 2014, 10:27 IST