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Day after exit polls, BSP says Mayawati will not meet Sonia, Rahul Gandhi in Delhi today

Earlier, there were reports that Mayawati might meet UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the national capital on Monday ahead of the poll results on May 23.

Day after exit polls, BSP says Mayawati will not meet Sonia, Rahul Gandhi in Delhi today

BSP supremo Mayawati (File Photo: IANS)

Bahujan Samaj Party early on Monday clarified that their chief Mayawati will not be holding any meetings with the leaders of Opposition in Delhi today.

BSP leader SC Mishra told news agency ANI that she will remain in Lucknow today.

The development comes hours after exit polls were announced on Sunday predicting a full majority for the BJP-led NDA government.

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The grand alliance (Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal) in UP is likely to get 40 seats and the BJP 38 seats, as per the IANS-CVoter exit poll, but only 26 seats according to the Jan Ki Baat. The Congress may win two seats, say the surveys.

However, Jan Ki Baat has hinted at the BJP winning around 46-57 seats, the SP-BSP alliance 15-29 seats, and the Congress 2-4 seats.

Earlier, there were reports that Mayawati might meet UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the national capital on Monday ahead of the poll results on May 23.

The meeting, if carried out, can be seen as a significant move as the Congress and the BSP had fought separately in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections. The BSP had contested in alliance with the Samajwadi Party.

In a bid to muster the support of old friends and lead the opposition front, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has reportedly sent letters to all key players, including former Uttar Pradesh chief ministers, Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav, for the May 23 meeting, the day results of the Lok Sabha elections are to be announced.

Letters have also been shot off to key allies, DMK and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for working out instant strategies to stake a claim for forming the government at the Centre, in case the NDA, led by incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi falls short of the majority mark.

Among those who have confirmed their participation at the meeting are NCP’s Sharad Pawar and MK Stalin of the DMK.

Besides neutral players such as Naveen Patnaik of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and K Chandrashekhar Rao of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), Sonia Gandhi is eyeing the support of Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav who are expected to secure big numbers in UP. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is also on the list.

Meanwhile, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday met Mayawati at her residence in Lucknow.

Earlier on Sunday, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu had met Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.

This was his second meeting with Rahul Gandhi as he had called on the Congress president before flying to Lucknow on Saturday to meet Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav.

On Sunday, Naidu also met Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury.

On Monday, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister will meet his West Bengal counterpart, Mamata Banerjee.

Naidu’s relentless efforts are seen as a bid to strengthen the post-poll equations among the opposition parties against the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 2019 election results on May 23.

(With agency inputs)

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