The Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) on Tuesday put to rest the possibility of the Congress becoming a part of the anti-BJP alliance in Uttar Pradesh, which includes the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD0.
BSP chief Mayawati reiterated that her party would not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election with any form of "election pact or co-ordination" in any state with the Congress.
The BSP supremo's declaration came after she held an-India level meeting of her party's state heads and senior leaders to discuss poll strategy for the Lok Sabha.
As part of the BSP's alliance in UP with the SP and the RLD, the party will contest in 38 out of 80 seats. The SP has got 37 while the RLD has three, all in West UP. The alliance will not field candidates in Rae Bareli and Amethi, the Congress strongholds, with the argument that it did not want the top leadership of the grand-old party to be restricted to campaigning in their constituencies.
Even after the BSP-SP-RLD alliance formally announced their seat-wise break-up on 78 seats, speculations were rife on the possibilities of the Congress getting a last-minute entry or entering a tactical understanding against the BJP.
However, Ms. Mayawati publically dismissed any possibilities of an understanding with the Congress.
She said the BSP's alliance with the SP was working with “mutual respect” and “good intentions” and that it is considered as the “first and perfect alliance” in UP, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The BSP and SP recently also announced an alliance in UK and MP, in a further snub to the Congress, which indicated that it was prepared to go solo in UP.
The SP-BSP alliance "fulfills the needs of social change" and is "capable of defeating" the BJP, which is "necessary in national interest," Ms. Mayawati said.
