To chalk out their strategies to fight the Bharatiya Janata Party in the coming Lok Sabha elections, Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress have called separate meetings of their senior leaders in Lucknow on Sunday.
Sources said the BSP chief arrived in Lucknow on Friday after a gap of 45 days. Mayawati has appointed in-charges in several Lok Sabha constituencies and they are likely to be party candidates.
“The expected candidates of the party have already started campaigning and announcement of their names is just a formality,” the sources said.
The BSP will contest 38 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh while 37 will be contested by its ally Samajwadi Party and three by Rashtriya Lok Dal. The alliance has decided not to contest the Rae Bareli and Amethi parliamentary seats held by the Congress.
Earlier, after the BSP-SP pre-poll alliance was announced on January 12, a probable list of BSP candidates was released, but the BSP termed it as ‘fake’.
Meanwhile, a Congress statement confirmed that UPCC chief Raj Babbar would reach Lucknow on Sunday and hold meetings with senior party leaders and with members of campaign committee, manifesto committee, coordination committee, election strategy and planning committee and media & publicity committee. The meeting will be held at UP Congress headquarters at Mall Avenue.