Lucknow: The Bhartiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh is preparing to muster additional support for its presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.
The BJP and its allies have 325 members in the 403-member UP Assembly but the party leaders are now eyeing additional support from Samajwadi Party, BSP and the Congress.
“We have sufficient numbers to ensure the victory of Mr Kovind but we want to send a strong message to the opposition by making a dent in their own parties,” said a BJP leader.
The easiest target for the BJP is the Samajwadi Party. While Samajwadi president Akhilesh Yadav has announced his support to the Opposition candidate Ms Meira Kumar, his father Mulayam Singh Yadav has decided to support the NDA candidate. This has turned the party into a divided house.
Mr Shivpal Yadav, whose differences with Mr Akhilesh Yadav are very well known, said, “My leader is Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav and I will do what he tells me to do.”
