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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Mumbai family deaths: Rat poison ingredient zinc phosphide found in viscera, watermelon sample
Mumbai (PTI): Four members of a family in Pydhonie area of south Mumbai died last month due to rat poison, police officials said on Thursday.
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report has confirmed the presence of zinc phosphide in viscera (liver, kidney, spleen), stomach contents, bile, and abdominal fat samples of the deceased identified as Abdulla Dokadia (44), his wife Nasrin (35) and their daughters Aayesha (16) and Zaineb (13), said Deputy Commissioner of Police Pravin Mundhe.
"The watermelon sample also tested positive for zinc phosphide, while all other food items were negative. The report will be studied in depth. We will consult forensic doctors. Further probe in the case is underway," the DCP said.
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Zinc phosphide is used primarily as a highly toxic acute rodenticide to control rats and mice.
"The forensic experts who examined the viscera of deceased Abdulla Dokadia, Nasrin (35), Aayesha (16) and Zaineb (13) found traces of zinc phosphide. It is, however, unclear whether the rat poison was consumed accidentally (or on purpose). So far, we have found no strong reason why the whole family would take such an extreme step," another official said.
Further probe is being conducted by the JJ Marg police station, which has recorded statements of kin and neighbours, he added.
The Dokadia family, residents of Ghari Mohalla on Ismail Kurte Road, had hosted a get-together of relatives on the night of April 25. At around 1 am, hours after the guests had left, Abdullah Dokadia, his wife Nasreen, and daughters Ayesha and Zaineb ate pieces of a watermelon.
They suffered severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea in the early hours of April 26 and were rushed to a local hospital before being referred to the government-run J J Hospital where all four died during treatment.
