Uttar Pradesh powerhouses Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati, bitter rival turned partners-in-polls, today announced their mega alliance, delivering the first opposition front to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national election due by May.
"This press conference will give Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah sleepless nights," Mayawati began, after the two leaders smiled together for the cameras.
Nearly 25 years ago, Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), had an acrimonious falling out after their shaky coalition government in Uttar Pradesh crashed.
Last year, the two parties decided to team up for important by-polls that were prestige battles for the ruling BJP and found that together, they can be unbeaten.
After a successful dry run in three seats, including Yogi Adityanath's Gorakhpur, the two parties explored taking their alliance to the next level - the 2019 national polls. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will fight on 38 seats and Samajwadi Party (SP) on 38, while two seats have been reserved. Rest two, Amethi and Rae Bareli are for Congress.
Here are the highlights of the Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati joint presser:
"We are Samajwadis who are always together in sorrow and happiness. BJP can weave a conspiracy because of the alliance, riots and unrest might also be attempted. So I welcome the alliance again and assure that it will lead to the downfall of the BJP and its arrogant rule," Akhilesh said.
Both parties are contesting together just to save their political ground. These parties have blamed each other of murder in the past. Anyway, its their choice.We are confident. Even if all parties come together, we will still win. pic.twitter.com/Bc6blr4mjH
- ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2019
RJD's Tejashwi Yadav on #SPBSPalliance: BJP ke haar ki shuruwaat Uttar Pradesh aur Bihar se ho chuki hai. pic.twitter.com/NKOekftxKu
- ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2019
After the BSP-SP alliance was announced, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath at BJP National Convention in Delhi said, "Within 1.5 yrs, UP govt has given houses to 18 lakh poor individuals, irrespective of their caste or religion, under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Under SP govt, only 63,000 houses were built in 5 years of rule."
Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath on #SPBSPalliance: Today there is a need of alliances in the entire country. BJP got only 31% vote in 2014 and claimed it was people's mandate, this happened due to split in votes. pic.twitter.com/T97kvcZCzp
- ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2019
I welcome the alliance of the SP and the BSP for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections
- Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) January 12, 2019
Attacking the Congress, she says that the grand old party has lost deposit in by-elections. Despite being at Centre and in many states, corruption and poverty was quite rampant everywhere. Congress and BJP at Centre are one of the same things. A large number of scams, including Bofors, Rafale, took place while the BJP and Congress governments were in power.
"The people in UP are upset with the policies of the BJP. Our alliance has tasted success in the bypolls elections in the state. The success of our alliance can help stop the BJP from forming the government at the Centre," the BSP chief said
