Mayawati Announces SP-BSP Alliance, Says ‘We Will Give Modi-Shah Sleepless Nights’
Image for representational use only; Image Courtesy : NDTV
Lucknow: Sounding the poll bugle for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Saturday announced that her party and the Samajwadi Party (SP) would fight together in an alliance in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, to stop the BJP from coming to power again.
Describing the ‘mega’ alliance as a “new political revolution”, Mayawati said it would rob Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party National President Amit Shah of their sleep.
The BSP supremo was addressing a joint press conference in Lucknow with SP president Akhilesh Yadav to announce the alliance officially.
According to NDTV, the two parties said they would contest 38 seats each in Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 parliamentary constituencies, leaving Rae Bareli and Amethi for the Congress. It is expected that the Kairana and Baghpat seats may be given to Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal.
However, both the leaders made it clear that “Congress was not part of the alliance.”
"It is because of the policies of the Congress that parties like ours came into existence. Whether it is the Congress or the BJP that comes to power, it's the same thing. There is not much benefit to us from tying up with the Congress," said Mayawati, shutting the doors on the Congress, according to NDTV.
Burying the hatchet, the once bitter rivals said the alliance was not limited to Lok Sabah polls but would continue.
Akhilesh Yadav, when asked if he would support Mayawati as Prime Minister, said: “ You know who is my choice. Uttar Pradesh has given Prime Ministers in the past and trend will be repeated again,”, as quoted by ANI.
Yadav said, "The alliance was on my mind since the day BJP leaders made obscene comments on Mayawati ji. But instead of punishing them, BJP gave big ministries to those leaders. From today onwards, all the SP workers should know that disrespect of Mayawati ji, will be my disrespect," he said, when asked about the guest house incident when SP workers had besieged and heckled Mayawati in 1995
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