Mayawati Rubbishes Talk Of UP Mahagathbandhan For 2019; Calls Rumours False And Baseless

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader and former Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister (CM) Mayawati has rubbished all rumours about a possible alliance with Samajwadi Party (SP) in UP for Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

Coming at the back of a SP spokesperson announcing an alliance for the by-polls to be held in the state, the BSP leader said that no such alliance exists and the political understanding being talked about was merely a strategy to stop the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) in UP.

Speaking to ANI, Mayawati said that the BSP will not be contesting the by-polls in a bid to defeat the BJP on the two seats. However, this does not translate to a political alliance with bitter rivals SP.

Speculations of a possible Bihar like Mahagathbandhan alliance were rife since the BJP stormed to power in UP in March last year. The BSP had helped the SP in Rajya Sabha and UP Vidhan Parishad elections earlier lending credence to the speculations.

However, now Mayawati has categorically denied the alliance and accorded the vote transfer to the aim of only defeating BJP in the state.

By-polls for the Lok Sabha constituencies of Gorakhpur and Phulpur are scheduled to be conducted on 11 March, after UP CM Yogi Adityanath and Deputy CM Keshav Maurya vacated the seats.