Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said he was willing to form an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh in order to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha elections next year, reported the Hindustan Times.

“It’s time to show the BJP the door,” he said. “We will form an alliance to oust the BJP.” Yadav was speaking at the party headquarters in state capital Lucknow during an event.

Yadav reiterated that people were seeking a change of government and a “jittery” BJP had damaged the country both economically and socially. “All eyes are on Uttar Pradesh because Uttar Pradesh’s verdict will be the country’s verdict,” he said. Under the BJP government, prices increased, and demonetisation and the Goods and Service Tax led to a crash in the economy, said the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister.

Yadav’s comments came a day after Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said she will agree to an alliance with other parties for any election only if her party was given a “respectable share of seats”.

In July, Yadav had said that Opposition parties will form a “mahagathbandhan” or grand alliance for the Lok Sabha elections in order to defeat the BJP. “We are using their [BJP’s] 2014 alliance formula against them for 2019,” he had said.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Abdul Hafiz Gandhi echoed Yadav’s remarks and said the party would form alliances in the state to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, reported News18. “Our party leadership will ensure that all the allies get a respectable share of seats,” said Gandhi.