The swearing-in of HD Kumaraswamy as Karnataka chief minister tomorrow is set to see one-time rivals in Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav, sharing a public platform.


Though Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party and Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party have recently come closer, particularly after they together managed to win the Lok Sabha byelections in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, their leaders have not been seen together on a public platform.


Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has got an invitation to attend the oath-taking ceremony in Bengaluru and will attend it, SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary told PTI.


JD-S leader Kumaraswamy had yesterday met BSP chief Mayawati in New Delhi and she will also attend the function, a BSP leader said. The SP leader said though the two leaders held a meeting in the state capital after the March byelections in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, this will be the first time that the two will appear on a dais together. -- PTI