Mayawati meets Akhilesh Yadav, discuss exit polls projections
Lucknow: BSP supremo Mayawati and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav met here on Monday after exit polls indicated gains for their alliance in the politically important state of Uttar Pradesh.
Yadav, who had formed a coalition with the BSP and the RLD to take on the BJP, drove to the residence of Mayawati and the closed door talks lasted for almost an hour.
Details of what transpired between the two top leaders was not known immediately.
On Saturday, TDP president Chandrababu Naidu had met both Yadav and Mayawati in the UP capital separately to discuss possibility of non-BJP parties coming together in the event of a fractured verdict.
As part of the alliance agreement, the BSP had contested 38 seats and the SP 37 seats leaving 3 for a smaller RLD while deciding not to field any candidate in Rae Bareli and Amethi, the stronghold of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi respectively.
The meeting between the SP and BSP bosses on Monday came a day after exit polls projected 300 plus seats for the NDA in the 17th Lok Sabha.
The exit polls showed the mahagatbandhan wresting several seats from the BJP in Uttar Pradesh where the saffron party had won 71 of the 80 seats.
Some exit polls predicted that the SP-BSP alliance is likely to trump the BJP in Uttar Pradesh.
The C Voter-Republic forecast gave the grand alliance in UP 40 seats against 38 for the NDA, while the Jan Ki Baat said the NDA may win 46-57 seats against 15-29 of the SP-BSP combine.
ABP News predicted a huge loss for the BJP in the state, saying it may get only 22 seats while the opposition alliance may emerge victorious in 56 constituencies.
Uttar Pradesh is a politically crucial state as it has 80 Lok Sabha seats.
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Two held for assaulting policemen over drinking in public
Bengaluru (PTI): Two police personnel on patrolling duty were allegedly abused and assaulted by a group of four youths after being asked not to consume alcohol in a public place, police said on Wednesday.
Two of the accused -- an engineering student and a software engineer, both in their 20s -- have been arrested in the case, they said.
Efforts are being made to nab the other two suspects, who have been identified, police added.
The incident occurred in the early hours of May 1, when the two personnel, attached to Amrutahalli police station, were patrolling on a two-wheeler near Akashavani Layout, they said.
According to police, while patrolling around 3 am, they noticed four youths who had stopped their car on the road and were consuming alcohol. When they were told to leave, as drinking alcohol in a public place is not permitted, one among them suddenly started abusing them.
When the policemen attempted to take out their lathi from the vehicle, the youths allegedly caught hold of them from behind, grabbed and dragged them, and tore one of their uniforms, the FIR stated.
They assaulted them with their hands and with rings worn, causing injuries to their faces. They also kicked them, causing pain, it said.
Thereafter, the accused allegedly snatched the key of their vehicle, pushed them to the ground, and fled the scene in their car at high speed, police said.
The policemen then immediately went to a hospital for treatment and lodged a complaint against four unknown youths, following which an FIR was registered against them under Sections 121(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to deter a public servant from duty), 132 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of duty), 304 (snatching), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
"We have arrested two people in the case and efforts are being made to nab the other two suspects who have been identified," a senior police officer said.
