Congress poll strategist Kishor meets SP chief Mulayam amid talk of alliance

Congress’s poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Tuesday held a two-hour meeting with Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is looking at cobbling together an alliance ahead of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Congress’ poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Tuesday held a two-hour meeting with Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is looking at cobbling together an alliance ahead of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar with political strategist Prashant Kishor after Bihar assembly elections. Kishor, who also worked with Narendra Modi during the 2014 General elections, is currently consulting for the Congress. (PTI File)

Kishor, along with SP’s national general secretary Amar Singh, met Yadav at his Delhi residence.

Mulayam recently floated the idea of a grand alliance, similar to the Janata Parivar merger in Bihar, amid the raging feud with the Yadav family.

There was talk in political circles that Yadav spoke with JD(U) leader and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, who is also in Delhi. However, there was no immediate confirmation. Kishor had managed Kumar’s successful assembly poll campaign last year.

Last week, Mulayam’s younger brother and state SP chief Shivpal Singh met JD(U)’s KC Tyagi and RLD chief Ajit Singh to invite them for the party’s 25th anniversary in Lucknow on November 5. Shivpal had said Lohiaites and followers of Charan Singh should join hands to beat BJP in Uttar Pradesh.

Samajwadi Party, which was initially part of Bihar’s grand alliance, had walked out of it after it was offered only a handful of seats to contest the assembly elections there. The grand alliance of JD(U), RJD and Congress, however, scripted an electoral victory, defeating the BJP. Shivpal had recently blamed his estranged cousin Ramgopal Yadav for Samajwadi Party’s decision to walk out of the alliance in Bihar.

Ramgopal, a Rajya Sabha member, has been backing UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in his fight against Shivpal, and was recently sacked from the party amid the escalating tension in the party.

To stay ahead in the elections, one of the SP’s main aim is to prevent splitting Muslim votes; to achieve this, it is looking for an alliance with secular parties.