Bhopal, July 19: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav issued a dicey response on being quizzed whether Congress chief Rahul Gandhi or BSP supremo Mayawati will be the Opposition's face in 2019. Avoiding a direct reply, Yadav said the next prime minister will be from Uttar Pradesh.

Pollsters claim the remarks of Yadav could not rule out his national aspirations. Both Yadav and Mayawati are based in UP and has served as the chief minister of the state. The Gandhi scion also has deep roots in the state, as he represents Amethi, the bastion of Nehru-Gandhi family, in the Lok Sabha.

Yadav was on a visit to Bhopal where he met the office-bearers of Samajwadi Party in the state. While addressing the media, the SP chief said 51 observers were deployed by the party to identify their areas of strength in the state.

Based on their inputs, SP will propose a pre-poll pact before the Congress. On asked whether the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) should join hands with the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, Yadav said the benefits of forming a "mahagathbandhan" (grand alliance) far outweigh the demerits.

"If we (Opposition) join hands, the results will be the same as seen in the recent by-elections," he added.

In Madhya Pradesh, Yadav claimed, the Congress' victory in Ater and Chitrakoot bypolls earlier in the year was a result of support extended by the SP cadres in the two constituencies.

Reacting to Yadav's assertion that the next PM will be from Uttar Pradesh, BJP's MP spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai said the SP supremo is correct. Since PM Modi represents the Varanasi constituency, he will not be re-elected from his constituency, but go on to take oath as the PM for the second time, Bajpai added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 19, 2018 08:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).