Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati to hold 11 joint rallies for Lok Sabha election

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati will hold 11 joint rallies, including one in Mainpuri where SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav is contesting polls, starting April 7 till May 16. SP chief spokesman Rajendra Chowdhury said the programme of the rallies has been finalised.

"Between April 7 to May 16, both leaders will address 11 joint rallies and RLD chief Ajit Singh will also be sharing stage with them," he said. The first joint rally of SP-BSP-RLD will be held in Deoband (Saharanpur) on April 7, followed by rallies in Badaun, Agra, Mainpuri, Rampur, Firozabad, Kannauj, Faizabad, Azamgarh, Gorakhpur and Varanasi.

In Mainpuri, the SP has fielded Mulayam Singh Yadav, while Akhilesh Yadav's wife, Dimple Yadav, is contesting from Kannauj. The SP president had on Wednesday met Mayawati and discussed kickstarting campaigning with a joint rally during the Navratras, which begin on April 6.

Directives have been issued to party workers for coordinating with alliance partners and using joint banners and flags for publicity, Chowdhury said.