Beni, Udit Raj meet Sonia

Lucknow, Apr 6 (UNI) Disgruntled ruling Samajwadi Party leader Beni Prasad Verma, along with Indian Justice Party (IJP) president Udit Raj today met AICC president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi.

Their meeting assumes importance against the backdrop of impending assembly elections in the state beginning tomorrow. Sources in the UP Congress said the two leaders discussed the political situation in the state. The sources, though, did not elaborate much on the issues taken up.

Beni Verma-led Samajwadi Kranti Party (SKP), Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and IJP have recently tied up for the elections. They said the alliance would contest on 150 to 200 seats in the seven phase election.

On Wednesday, Mr Verma had announced to support Congress candidates at places, where his newly formed outfit was not contesting. He said the support to the Congress candidates would be extended in the first, second and third phases of the seven-phase UP poll.

UNI