Savitribai Phule, the  MP from Bahraich who has resigned from Bharatiya Janata Party, met Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav here on Thursday and threw hints that she could contest the next Lok Sabha election on SP ticket.

The meeting between the two took place at SP office here and lasted for almost 20 minutes.

“I had a very cordial meeting with Akhileshji. We discussed political scenario of Uttar Pradesh and how the alliance between Samajwadi party and Bahujan Samaj Party would decimate BJP in UP,” Phule told ‘The Pioneer’ on telephone.

When asked whether she would contest the election on SP ticket, Phule said that if given a chance, she would love to contest the Lok sabha poll as a Samajwadi Party candidate from Bahraich. 

“Nothing has been finalised as yet,” she said, while throwing enough hints that she would be more than happy to get SP ticket.

Before quitting the party, Phule had unfurled a banner of revolt against the BJP and had attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi “for being anti-Dalit and for failing to implement promises he had made during election campaign”.

 She had also hurled vitriol at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his government, calling them corrupt. 

This belligerence had forced the party leadership to sideline her following which she resigned from the BJP.

The writing was always on the wall that she would try to knock the doors of either BSP or SP. The probability of her approaching SP was high because Phule was initially in BSP and had resigned from it to join the BJP.  It is well known that Mayawati does not promote re-entry of leaders who have left the BSP. 

Sources say that almost a fortnight back, Phule had gone to meet the SP president but was asked to come again once an alliance was formalised. 

SP spokesman Rajendra Choudhary said it was a courtesy meeting between the two political leaders.