New Delhi: BSP supremo
Mayawati and
Samajwadi Party President
Akhilesh Yadav will jointly announce an alliance on Saturday between both parties for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. A joint press conference has been called by both leaders in Lucknow at noon on January 12 at Lucknow's Taj hotel where the announcement will be made.
This also confirms that the
Congress will not be a part of the alliance as no representative of the Congress will be at the press conference. About two years ago, Congress chief
Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav had held a joint press conference at the same venue to announce an alliance between the Congress and the SP for the 2017 assembly polls.
Mayawati had reached Lucknow on Thursday from Delhi and had a telephonic conversation with Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday and it was decided to announce the alliance on Saturday. Both leaders had earlier met in Delhi last week to discuss the contours of the alliance.
SP and BSP are speculated to contest 37 seats apiece, leaving four seats for smaller parties like RLD, Nishad Party and Peace Party. RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary had also met Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow two days after which Chaudhary had said that RLD will be a part of the SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh. Two-three seats could be allotted to the RLD.
The alliance is not expected to put up candidates on the seats of
Amethi and Rae Bareli, which are the traditional seats of the Gandhi family.