Maya's BSP yet to make a dent in Delhi: Sheila

New Delhi, Nov 16: Debunking claims that the BSP could eat into the Congress votebank and spell an end to its ten-year-old regime, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has said the Mayawati factor is still not a force to reckon with in Delhi. ''The BSP has been there on the poll scene for a decade now. Where does one find it in Delhi? They are yet to make any dent. They have not announced any policy as of now,'' she said in an interview.

Taking a dig at BJP leader Arun Jaitley's comments that the BSP factor could make inroads into Congress strongholds and in turn help his own party, Ms Dikshit said it meant that the BJP was 'heavily relying' on the BSP to make an impact at the Delhi hustings. ''If, as Mr Jaitley says, the BSP presence will lead to the defeat of the Congress, will the BJP win' ''Ms Dikshit asked. This time, the BSP has put up candidates for all the 70 Assembly seats. It has infact, declared its nominations well ahead of announcement of the elections.

Though the BSP is yet to open an account in the Assembly polls in the capital, its bagging 17 out of total 272 seats at last year's MCD elections has led to speculation that it may translate into support for the party in the Assembly polls. Infact, the party had made a significant impact in over 90 MCD wards.

UNI