RLD, SP talks ahead of Lok Sabha polls

Lucknow: Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav here on Tuesday, however both sides declined to share details of the discussions.

Chaudhury reached the SP headquarters and met Akhilesh, the two spoke for over an hour, a senior SP leader said.

"We discussed about present politics and future course of action and also about BJP's failures," Chaudhary later said.

"General milna, political charcha karna ye to hota rahna chahiye (routine meetings and political discussions should go on)," he said.

When asked if there were any positive outcomes from the meeting, Chaudhary said, "Certainly things are positive. We (Jayant and Akhilesh) have known each other for a long time." On reports suggesting that Akhilesh might be quizzed by the CBI in the mining scam, Chaudhary extended his support to Akhilesh and said, "Institutions are being abused (by the BJP government) and everyone is watching. I told Akhilesh, our party is with him."

On the number of seats his party would get in the proposed SP-BSP alliance, he said, "The media is curious about it. Everything will be clear." He avoided questions on the possibility of inclusion of the Congress in the alliance for the Lok Sabha polls. Though there was no official word so far from the Samajwadi Party and the BSP, the sources claimed the two UP-based political outfits will contest 37 LS seats each.