On Tuesday, 16 April, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an election rally in Agra for calling the grand alliance a mahamilawat.
He lashed out at Modi and asked if their (SP-BSP-RLD) alliance is mahamilawat, then what should BJP’s alliances with 38 parties be called.
Yadav said, "If an alliance of three parties is mahamilawat then we want to ask them, what do we call your alliance which has 38 parties from across the country? Do suggest a name."
Samajwadi Party, Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party and Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal have come together to contest the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. Their alliance was dubbed mahamilawat by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Yadav said that the parties are working hard and are confident that they will beat the BJP in the state.
The Election Commission on Monday, 15 April, banned Mayawati from campaigning for 48 hours.
But her nephew Akash Anand delivered his first political speech there, watched by SP president Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh and BSP's SC Mishra.
Elections will be held on eight Uttar Pradesh seats on 18 April – Nagina (SC), Amroha, Bulandshahr (SC), Aligarh, Hathras (SC), Mathura, Agra (SC) and Fatehpur Sikri.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)