Rahul Gandhi meets Sharad Pawar after bypoll results

New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi met Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday evening after the BJP's defeat in three Lok Sabha by-elections and is believed to have discussed unity among opposition parties to take on the BJP-led NDA in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Sources said that the meeting lasted about 90 minutes and the two leaders are believed to have discussed the political scenario after BJP's shock defeats in Phulpur and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and its inability to wrest Araria seat in Bihar from the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

Gorakhpur seat was vacated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath and Phulpur by his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya. The BSP had supported Samajwadi Party candidates in the two seats in order to defeat the BJP and the verdict is being seen as a template for opposition parties coming together in 2019.

The two leaders are believed to have discussed ways to take on Narendra Modi government inside and outside the Parliament.

Both Gandhi and Pawar were together at the dinner hosted by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi for leaders of 19 opposition parties on Tuesday.

Pawar had also held meetings of opposition parties in January.

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