Lucknow: On Saturday, Akhilesh Yadav, president of the Samajwadi Party, predicted that the "PDA," which he described as "Pichde (backward classes), Dalit and Alpasankhyak (minorities)," would defeat the BJP-led NDA in the upcoming general elections.
The former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh made this prediction at the NDTV Conclave in Lucknow: "The BJP will be defeated in all 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh if bigger national parties back us." Yadav stated that he has always believed that the stronger alliance partner in a state should be prioritised when deciding how to allocate seats.
The leader of the Samajwadi Party responded to questions about his party's attitude on plans to form a grand united opposition by saying, "Assi harao, BJP hatao (defeat 80, remove BJP)." The state of Uttar Pradesh possesses 80 seats in the Lok Sabha. The BJP took Rampur and Azamgarh in by-elections, leaving the SP with only five victories in 2019.—Inputs from Agencies