Mayawati confirms rift in SP-BSP alliance, asks Akhilesh Yadav to set his house in order

LUCKNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Tuesday denied speculations of a rift in the Mahagatbandhan but said that if the Samajwadi Party does not learn from the mistakes it made in the Lok Sabha election, both parties will eventually contest independently in the long term. However, Mayawati added that the BSP would contest by-elections to 11 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh on its own. 

She said that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav needs to set his party in order and weed out those who responsible for failing to get their supporters' vote en bloc during the Lok Sabha election. "It's not a permanent break up. If we feel in future that SP Chief succeeds in his political work, we'll again work together. But if he doesn't succeed, it'll be good for us to work separately. So we've decided to fight the by-election alone," she said.

Claiming that the BSP had not benefited from the alliance with the SP in the recently concluded election, she said that the transfer of votes between the two parties did not take place. She even claimed that the SP could not even manage to maintain its hold on Yadav seats as well as the constituencies on which his family members were contesting. "We can't ignore political compulsions. In the results of Lok Sabha elections in UP, base vote of Samajwadi Party, the 'Yadav' community, didn't support the party. Even strong contenders of SP were defeated," she said.

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Stating that she has personal ties with Akhilesh, she said that he has given her a lot of respect. "Ever since the SP-BSP coalition took place, SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple Yadav have given me a lot of respect. I also forgot all our differences in the interest of the nation and gave them respect. Our relation isn't only for politics, it'll continue forever," she said.

The BSP, SP had fought the Lok Sabha election in alliance with the former contesting on 38 seats and the latter on 37 seats in Uttar Pradesh. The BSP won 10 Lok Sabha seats while the SP managed to win just 5 seats.