BSP consolidated base in South in Karnataka elections: Mayawati

New Delhi, Jun 5 (UNI) BSP supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today asserted that results of the Karnataka Assembly elections were proof of further consolidation of her party's base in the south.

The Party increased its votes percentage to about three from about one in the last elections, which it considered as its major success, she said when asked at a press conference here as to why the Assembly poll results in the southern state were not up to expectations with the party failing to open its account.

''In fact winning any seats was never our objective otherwise we would not have contested for over 200 seats and confined ourselves to just 40 to 50 seats, but we wanted to test the expansion of our base in the south,'' the BSP leader said.

Besides the increase in the percentage of BSP votes, the party got second place in nine constituencies and third place in about 23 constituencies, she said. The party started out like that in Uttar Pradesh too and finally years later it was voted to power with absolute majority, Ms Mayawati sought to point out.

''So what the party was concentrating on in the south was not so much on getting its candidates elected but getting the message of the party movement across to the masses,'' she added.

UNI NAZ RR RAI2054