SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar on Wednesday said that they are together in their fights for the Dalits other weaker sections of the society but did not specify if they have forged any pre-poll alliance.
The presidents of the two parties made the announcement separately after their meeting which the SBSP president Rajbhar described as a courtesy call.
"The Samajwadi Party and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party will fight together the battle of the deprived, oppressed, backwards, Dalits, women, farmers, youths and other weaker sections of the society,” the Samajwadi Party said in a tweet in Hindi.
"The SP and SBSP have come together. No there will be no BJP. This time the BJP is out," the tweet, carrying pictures of Akhilesh Yadav and Rajbhar meeting, said.
The tweets, however, did not mention if the two parties will fight the upcoming state assembly polls together and what pre-poll understandings, if any, have been reached.
Coming barely months before the UP assembly elections, the meeting itself, however, assumes significance.
Having four MLAs in the present UP House, Rajbhar's party holds influence in over a dozen districts in UP's Poorvanchal region.
SBSP chief Rajbhar, in his tweet, said that "the SP and SBSP have come together."
He, however, added that his meeting with Akhilesh Yadav was a "courtesy meeting".
"SP and SBSP have come together. The BJP government which ditched Dalits, backwards, minorities and other sections, are left with only last few days,” he said.
“Had a courtesy meeting with former CM Akhilesh Yadav," he added in his tweet in Hindi.
The BJP had forged a poll alliance with the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party in the 2017 UP assembly elections.
SBSP chief Rajbhar was even made a minister in the state government but he resigned later before the 2019 polls.
Rajbhar had recently constituted a "Bhagidari Morcha", a “participatory political front” with Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM and some other outfits.
Rajbhar's meeting with state BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh recently had triggered speculation that he might go with it again.
Tough both the SP and SBSP announced through Twitter that they are together, none of their leaders clearly said if they will contest elections together.
"Our president Akhilesh Yadav Ji will decide seat- sharing, if any. We both are together," a senior SP leader said.
SBSP leader Arun Rajbhar said, "His party is with the SP and the understanding on the number of seats will be decided soon."
The SBSP has planned a rally in Mau on October 27 after which things will be clearer, a senior SBSP leader said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
