SP-BSP-RLD to address joint rally in Badaun for Akhilesh’s cousin Dharmendra Yadav

The SP-BSP-RLD grand alliance will address a joint rally at Uttar Pradesh’ Budaun district on Saturday. This will be the second joint rally of ‘Mahagathbandhan’. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati and Rashtriya Lok Dal boss Ajit Singh will address the rally for Dharmendra Yadav.

Dharmendra Yadav, Mulayam's nephew, and Akhilesh Yadav’s cousin, is Samajwadi Party candidate from Budaun.

Earlier, the SP-BSP-RLD kicked off its joint campaign by holding a joint rally in Saharanpur's Deoband. The top leaders of the parties addressed the Deoband meeting just days before Saharanpur and seven other western UP constituencies went to the polls in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 11.

The SP, BSP, and RLD have forged an alliance in Uttar Pradesh to challenge the BJP. According to the deal, the BSP is contesting on 38 seats whereas the SP will field candidates on 37 seats. The Ajit Singh-led RLD will be contesting from Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, and Mathura. The alliance has left Amethi and Rae Bareli for the Congress party.

Meanwhile, the Congress party has also decided to leave six seats namely Azamgarh, Firozabad, Kannauj, Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, and Manipuri for 'Mahagathbandhan' leaders. The alliance between the Congress and 'Mahagathbandhan' couldn't materialise and the Grand Old Party had to establish alliances with smaller outfits such as Apna Dal (Krishna Patel), Jan Adhikar Party and Mahan Dal.

However, the party is hoping to create a miracle in the state with the introduction of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra into active politics from Uttar Pradesh.

In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with its ally Apna Dal swept the state and won 73 seats together. The BJP completely routed the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Congress and the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the state.

Both the BSP and the Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) were not able to open their accounts in the Lok Sabha polls. Uttar Pradesh sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha and such a massive victory facilitated the BJP's grand comeback at the Centre.