Lucknow, Sep 30 (IANS): Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) chief Shivpal Yadav on Thursday gave an ultimatum till October 11 to Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party chief to decide on the alliance between the two. This comes after Shivpal's meeting with Asaduddin Owaisi and Om Prakash Rajbhar.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) president Om Prakash Rajbhar and Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar met Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) chief Shivpal Yadav,late on Wednesday night, ostensibly to formalise an alliance for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.

The meeting was kept a closely guarded secret and the leaders exited from the back door to avoid the media.

Shivpal Yadav told IANS on Thursday that he would wait till October 11 to get a response from Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav after which he would decide his own course of action.

"There has been enough talk and I have made all possible efforts to strike an understanding with the Samajwadi Party. If I do not get any response from Akhilesh by October 11, I will go my way and field maximum candidates," he said.

He said that from October 12, he would embark on his yatra from Vrindavan in Mathura and travel to all the 75 districts of the state.

Shivpal Yadav, according to sources, has also conveyed his decision to the leaders who met him on Wednesday night.

Owaisi and Rajbhar urged Shivpal to join the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha (BSM), an alliance of nine smaller political parties.

Besides AIMIM and SBSP, the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha includes Jan Adhikar Party led by Babu Singh Kushwaha, Rashtriya Uday Party president Babu Rampal, Rashtriya Upekshit Samaj Party of Premchanda Prajapati and Janata Kranti Party led by Anil Singh Chauhan.

Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad has already given his consent to joining the alliance.

The Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha leaders urged Shivpal to finalise the alliance in order to discuss seat-sharing for the Assembly election.