Sharad and Akhilesh meet, alliance likely

LUCKNOW: Former JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav called the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) a sinking ship, after he had a discussion with Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday over a possible alliance of anti-BJP parties for the 2019 parliamentary polls.

The meeting comes after the SP won two Lok Sabha bypolls in Uttar Pradesh this March with the help of its long-time rival the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The state is now gearing up for the Rajya Sabha polls on March 23. “Unity of opposition parties has ensured the BJP’s defeat thrice (he did not specify the instances) in the Rajya Sabha. The situation in the country is akin to the one during the Emergency in 1975-77. There were fewer political parties then. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA government is a sinking ship. The BJP’s allies will part ways soon,” Sharad Yadav said. HTC