Battle for UP: Can Akhilesh Yadav's mahagathbandhan stop BJP?

A day after meeting Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday held talks with AAP leader Sanjay Singh and Apna Dal (K) chief Krishna Patel in the run-up to the 2022 assembly polls.

Akhilesh Yadav has repeatedly said the Samajwadi Party is open to alliances with smaller parties.

Om Prakash Rajbhar's Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), Sanjay Chauhan's Janwadi Party (Socialist) and Keshav Dev Maurya's Mahan Dal have already forged an alliance with SP.

So, can Akhilesh's mahagathbandhan stop BJP? Do smaller parties hold the key? How will the Owaisi factor play out? Maya, Priyanka pretenders or contenders?