Mayawati says BSP won't contest any bypolls; know why
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has announced her party's decision not to contest any by-elections across the country. The decision came after recent bypoll results in Uttar Pradesh and assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Addressing a press conference, Mayawati alleged misuse of government machinery during these elections to influence voting outcomes.
Mayawati alleges misuse of government machinery in bypolls
"In the bye-elections held in the UP assembly on nine seats, the votes that were cast and the results that came yesterday, there is general discussion in public that earlier power was misused to cast wrong votes were through ballot paper, but now the same is being done in EVMs as well," Mayawati said. She added similar concerns have been raised about elections in Maharashtra.
BSP to continue contesting general elections
However, Mayawati confirmed that the BSP will continue to contest general elections for Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, and municipal bodies. She explained this by saying, "In general elections, it is not guaranteed that the party in power will return to power and another party may take over. This fear keeps the government machinery somewhat restrained."
BSP's performance in recent Uttar Pradesh bypolls
In the recent bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP and its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) won seven out of the nine seats. The Samajwadi Party (SP) won two seats. The BJP-led NDA not only increased its tally over 2022 but also wrested seats like Kundarki and Katehari from the SP. The BSP contested all nine seats but failed to win any.
