'Rajya Sabha defeat won't affect SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh': Mayawati

Bahujan Samajwadi Party chief Mayawati on Saturday hinted that the setback in Friday's election was unlikely to impact her party's new partnership with Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi party.

Addressed A press after her Bahujan Samajwadi Party was defeated in a keenly-fought battle for a Rajya Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh, she said "I would like to tell BJP and company that their malpractices will not succeed in breaking the ties between SP and BSP. Yesterday's results have not affected the SP-BSP tie up in any way, not even by an inch," Mayawati said.

BSP supremo also accused that the saffron party misused the system to make their candidate win.

"We believe Narendra Modi and Amit Shah used the system to make their candidates win. An environment of fear was created due to which there was also some cross-voting done," she said.

She also added "BJP did not deter from indulging in malpractices. They exterted all their force to ensure that the BSP candidate does not win at any cost. The entire system was deployed to ensure that the newly formed ties between BSP and SP loosens".

Speaking on RS strategy "A plan had been made that we come together so that the BJP candidate couldn't win the election. It was also tried to make an effort to ensure that this election does not become a blot on the face of democracy".

"If I had been in place of Akhilesh Yadav, I would have given first priority to BSP candidate rather than the SP candidate," she said.

The bonhomie between the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party which began during the Gorakhpur and Phulpur by-elections continued in the Rajya Sabha polls but was not good enough. The BSP had helped the SP bag both the seats in the by-polls. The SP returned the favour by polling its surplus votes in favour of the BSP, but the BJP's Anil Agarwal managed to go through to the Upper House.

The contest was a tough one between Agarwal and the BSP's Bhimrao Ambedkar who got 33 first preference votes. Ambedkar was backed by both the SP and Congress. Agarwal, however, won after the counting of second preference votes as the BSP candidate did not get second preference votes from the Samajwadi Party. Both the BSP and SP faced cross-voting by two of its MLAs.

"This immoral victory cannot make up for their defeat in Gorakhpur and Phulpur. Even BJP is aware of this," she further said.

OneIndia News