Congress’ poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Sunday met Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh here, triggering speculation of a ‘maha-gathbandhan’ (grand alliance) ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The marathon meeting, spread over two sessions and kept under wraps, came a day after top leaders of socialist-leaning parties attended the SP’s silver jubilee meet here — a move seen as an attempt by Mr. Mulayam Singh to forge an alliance ahead of the Assembly polls hardly a few months away. There was no official word from either side as to what transpired at the meeting.
State SP president Shivpal Yadav said he would tell the media when such a development took place. “When it materialises, I will tell you,” Mr. Shivpal said. This is the second time in six days that Mr. Kishor met Mr. Mulayam Singh, who is trying to cobble together an alliance of like-minded parties.
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The first meeting took place at Mr. Mulayam Singh’s Delhi residence on November 1. The Samajwadi Party, initially a part of Bihar’s grand alliance, had walked out of it after the party was offered only a handful of seats in the Assembly elections there.