Speculations over end of SP-BSP friendship after massive defeat in LS polls

Akhilesh Yadav led-Samajwadi Party won 18% seats in the Lok Sabha elections.

The political landscape in the Indo-Gangetic plain region is changing very rapidly with arch rivals Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samajwadi Party, without the Congress, stitching a 'Mahagathbandan' alliance to take on the BJP./ PTI PHOTO FILE

New Delhi: Only five months after Uttar Pradesh rivals Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party shook hands with an aim to defeat Narendra Modi at the centre, reports hinted at a splitsville between the two. As per reports, Mayawati had asked her party men to prepare for the upcoming bypolls to 11 seats in the state, triggering talks that the two may part ways soon. The picture is likely to be made clear in Mayawati’s press conference which she is set to address at 11am on Tuesday. Though, BSP has falsified the speculations, bringing a breather to SP, The decision of contesting the bypolls evoked speculations since Mayawati’s party which bagged 19.3% vote share in the Lok Sabha elections usually doesn’t contest bypolls and made a last exception in 2007 when it contested from the Farrukhabad seat. Akhilesh Yadav led-Samajwadi Party won 18% seats in the Lok Sabha elections. As per reports, Mayawati also asked her partymen ‘not to depend on anyone’ while addressing the meeting. This came after SP supremo expressed unhappiness over SP’s performance in the general elections saying, “She was unhappy that SP didn’t perform as well as she should have”.