BSP Will Go It Alone in Bypolls to 11 U.P. Seats, Says Mayawati

But adds that there is no breakup yet of the alliance with the SP

- Omar Rashid

The Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance was put on hold in Uttar Pradesh after BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday announced that her party would contest alone all 11 seats in the upcoming Assembly byelections.

She cited “political compulsions” behind the move and claimed that the Yadavs had deserted the SP and hurt the alliance’s prospects.

Ms. Mayawati, however, kept the chances of a reunion in future alive with the ultimatum that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav would have to train his cadre to be “missionary” like those of the BSP’s. Ms. Mayawati said, “There is no breakup of the alliance yet.”

After her announcement in Delhi, Mr. Yadav, who was in Ghazipur, responded that his party would also prepare to contest all 11 seats if the alliance broke, putting a question mark over the future of the tie-up, just days after its unsuccessful run in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. While the BSP won 10 seats, the SP returned with just five.