UP Polls: Shivpal Yadav in Delhi to explore 'Grand Alliance' to fight 'communal forces'

Samajwadi party's silver jubilee celebrations next week in Lucknow is set to have some big political guns share common platform as Shivpal Yadav is in the national capital to invite leaders of several other parties for the grand 25th raising day of the party. 

The big names which have been invited for the party's milestone founding day celebrations are Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD)  leader Ajit Singh and Sharad Yadav of the Janata Dal United.

The Delhi visit of the Samajwadi Party's UP chief comes a day after he invited "all followers of Lohia, Chaudhary Charan Singh and Gandhi to come together and fight communal forces," and he is expected to pursue putting together for the UP elections, a "Grand Alliance" on the lines of the one that fought and won the Bihar elections under Nitish Kumar's stewardship last year.

Speaking about the Grand Alliance, Shivpal Yadav said "I have come to invite Ajit Singh for the grand alliance. There haven’t been talks of the Grand Alliance with all stakeholders as of now.To stop BJP from making a foray into UP, I have invited the secular forces to form a united front. I haven’t met the Congress as of now. I have sent out invitations to RLD leader Ajit Singh, KC Tyagi and Sharad Yadav".

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had pulled out of the Bihar alliance in what is widely seen as a political misstep, and his younger brother Shivpal has blamed Ram Gopal Yadav, their cousin, who was recently sacked from the party.

Shivpal Yadav said on Thursday that he had worked in the direction of bringing parties together for that alliance in Bihar, but Ram Gopal Yadav people no more in the party foiled the plans. Eventually, Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal United, Lalu Yadav of the RJD and the Congress contested as partners, scoring a big win in Bihar.