Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today dismissed the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance saying it was a desperate effort for survival.

“The SP BSP alliance is for their survival, it’s not in the interest of the country or Uttar Pradesh,” he said at media briefing on the second day of BJP’s national council meet in Delhi.

Even as the joint press conference of SP president Akhilesh Singh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati began in Lucknow to make a formal announcement of their alliance for the Lok Sabha elections, Prasad exuded confidence that the BJP will sweep the polls in Uttar Pradesh.

“This election is not of UP, this is for India. People will look for a leader who will lead India. We will win 74 seats in UP. Our NDA is strong.”

BJP president Amit Shah had made a similar claim on Friday.

Mayawati today said the BSP and the SP would contest 38 seats each, leave two for the Congress and two for others. A piqued Congress has warned that it would be dangerous to ignore the party.

First Published: Jan 12, 2019 12:40 IST