Gorakhpur, Phulpur by-elections 2018: Bahujan Samaj Party Gorakhpur in-charge Ghanshyam Chandra Kharwar declared support to Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Praveen Kumar Nishad in upcoming Gorakhpur by-poll. (ANI)

Gorakhpur, Phulpur by-elections 2018: Arch rivals Mayawati of Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav have joined hands for the upcoming Lok Sabha bypolls in Uttar Pradesh. SP spokesperson Pankhuri Pathak tweeted today, “BSP & @samajwadiparty to fight by-polls together. It’s official. Congrats to both parties & all members.” On Saturday, Pathak had tweeted, “BSP to Support @samajwadiparty in the LS By-Polls in Phulpur & Gorakhpur. The much-awaited decision by Mayawati Ji. Looking forward to contesting together & creating a larger Bahujan secular alliance.”

ANI reported today that Bahujan Samaj Party’s Gorakhpur in-charge Ghanshyam Chandra Kharwar declared support to Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Praveen Kumar Nishad for upcoming Gorakhpur by-poll.

As per reports, BSP has decided to back SP candidates in both Phulpur and Gorakhpur.

Addressing media today, Mayawati said, “I want to clarify that BSP has not allied with any political party. All rumors about BSP & SP alliance in UP for 2019 Lok Sabha elections are false and baseless.”

In 1993, BSP founder and Mayawati’s political Godfather had joined hands with Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party to contest against the BJP.

BSP & @samajwadiparty to fight by-polls together. It’s official. Congrats to both parties & all members . Time to score that win ????????✌????

— Pankhuri Pathak (@pankhuripathak) March 4, 2018

Gorakhpur and Phulpur bypolls will be held on March 11. Both seats were vacated by Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Maurya respectively last year.

With the coming together of SP and BSP, the bypolls serve as a test case for the possibility of a Bihar-like ‘grand alliance’ for the 2019 General Elections. Several experts in past have argued that both SP and BSP could have beaten BJP in 2017 UP assembly election if they had fought together. The BJP and its allies had won 325 out of 403 seats in the state last year.

BSP to Support @samajwadiparty in the LS By-Polls in Phulpur & Gorakhpur . Much awaited decision by Mayawati Ji . Looking forward to contesting together & creating a larger Bahujan secular alliance . pic.twitter.com/5uD4lOUYnT

— Pankhuri Pathak (@pankhuripathak) March 3, 2018

Ahead of the bypolls, parties are making all efforts to ensure their win in Gorakhpur and Phulpur. The opposition parties are trying to topple the BJP’s apple cart by snatching two seats.

Gorakhpur is important for BJP as the seat was represented by CM Adityanath for multiple terms.

Phulpur, which was once a Congress bastion and even represented by Jawaharlal Nehru, witnessed a saffron surge for the first time in 2014 with the election of Maurya to the Lok Sabha.