As UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav prepares to begin his solo rathyatra, with his ‘rath’ (chariot) showcasing his government’s achievements, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav is toying with the idea of a grand alliance, like the Mahagathbandhan that won the assembly polls in Bihar.

It was in this context that the Congress party strategist Prashant Kishore met Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh in Delhi on Tuesday.

However, Akhilesh wants his party to go alone in the UP assembly elections and he is ready to defy his father and uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav.

On the other hand, the party supremo is working on a proposed grand alliance which may include Congress, Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal, Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal-United.

If such a grand alliance is forged, it will effectively reduce Akhilesh’s stature and may project Mulayam Singh as a leader of the alliance.

All these efforts towards a grand alliance are meant to stem the flow of Muslim voters from SP to BSP.