BSP chief Mayawati makes this major announcement ahead of Bihar Assembly election 2020

In a major development ahead of the Bihar Assembly election 2020, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday announced that the BSP will fight the elections in Bihar in alliance with Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) and other parties.

Addressing a press conference, the BSP chief also rooted for Upendra Kushwaha as the chief ministerial candidate. Mayawati said, "We have decided to fight elections in Bihar in alliance with Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Samta Party & other parties. Upendra Kushwaha will be the CM if this alliance gets the blessing of people of Bihar in the polls."

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She added, "This new alliance aims to free people of Bihar from the problems of unemployment, poverty and floods. I appeal to the people of Bihar to give a chance to this alliance. The poor, downtrodden, farmers and youths of the state have been ignored by previous governments."

"For the last few years, the party has been contesting and winning the elections based on the coalition. After the suggestion of the Bihar unit, we have also decided that in Bihar we will contest the elections by an alliance," said Mayawati.

Speaking on the by-elections for Lok Sabha and assembly seats in some states, she said that the BSP will contest all the assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh on its own. 

"Election Commission today announced by-elections for Lok Sabha & Assembly seats in some states. BSP will contest all the Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh on its own. The party will not forge any alliance for these bypolls," said the Bahujan Samaj Party chief.

On September 28, Pappu Yadav-led Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) decided to forge a poll alliance with three other political outfits including Chandrasekhar Azad's Azad Samaj Party, to fight the Bihar Assembly election. 

The new coalition named Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA) also includes the Bahujan Mukti Party (BMP) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) of MK Faizi to fight against the NDA and other fronts in the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls. 

Addressing media in Patna, the national president of the Jan Adhikar Party, Pappu Yadav, had said that Upendra Kushwaha's RLSP, the LJP, and Congress have been invited to join this alliance in the larger interest of the state. 

Slamming Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of not doing enough to fight the coronavirus pandemic, he said the alliance has been formed put an end to 30-year misrule. He also blamed Nitish Kumar for failing utterly to extend assistance to helpless Bihari residents in Gujarat and Delhi during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

When asked if his effort to form an alliance is aimed at emerging a kingmaker after the polls, Yadav said he just wants to serve Bihar. Chandrashekhar Azad said, "We will always be available at places where a fight for justice is going on."

Last week, Asaduddin Owaisi had also forged an alliance with the Samajwadi Janata Dal (SJD) and announced to field the alliance candidates on seats in Seemanchal and other parts of Bihar.

The Election Commission had earlier announced that Bihar assembly elections will be held in three phases: October 28, and November 3 and 7, while the counting of votes will take place on November 10.

In the 2015 Assembly polls, JDU, RJD, and Congress had fought the elections together under the Mahagathbandhan banner, while the BJP-led NDA had fought the elections with Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and other allies.

RJD with 80 seats had emerged as the single largest party in the elections, followed by JDU (71), and BJP (53). The BJP, however, got the largest vote share (24.42 per cent), followed by RJD with 18.35 per cent and JDU (16.83 per cent).

After the polls, a rift emerged between JDU and the RJD in 2017, and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar snapped ties with RJD and rejoined the BJP-led NDA to retain power in Bihar.