New Delhi, Sept 22: As part of a move to further strengthen BJP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh, MoS in Prime Minister`s Office Vijay Goel will be meeting chief minister Mayawati in Lucknow today. The visit comes close on the heels of party president M Venkaiah Naidu saying that BJP`s coalition with BSP in Uttar Pradesh was a "long term alliance" with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections slated for 2004.
Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani has been invited by Mayawati for a rally in Lucknow on September 28 which would help in further cementing relations between the two parties, BJP sources said.
Both parties have already worked out seat sharing for the Lok Sabha elections and sources indicated that this would be only for Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha seats. The visit by Goel also indicates that top BJP leadership is keen on maintaining its ties with BSP and in view of the fractured verdict in the assembly elections, the party would like to improve its position in the state in alliance with BSP, party sources said.
Bureau Report