Hamirpur/Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said that his party will try to forge an alliance with small parties to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"Alliances are made as per the situation. We did not have a great experience when formed alliances with big parties. Now, our party will try to bring small parties in the alliance to defeat BJP," Yadav told reporters in Hamirpur.

Akhilesh Yadav kickstarted the election campaign with a 'Vijay Rath' yatra from Kanpur on Tuesday. The party workers welcomed him with great enthusiasm. During the yatra, Yadav paid tributes to Ram Manohar Lohia on his death anniversary.

Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati also started his election for the upcoming 2022 UP Assembly election on Tuesday on the death anniversary of Kanshi Ram.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also addressed a rally in Varanasi.

Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are scheduled to take place early next year.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP won a landslide victory winning 312 Assembly seats. The party secured a 39.67 per cent vote share in the elections for 403-member Assembly. Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged 47 seats, BSP won 19 while Congress could manage to win only seven seats. (ANI)