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Mayawati rules out alliance with INDIA, NDA, calls them casteist, communal
In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) a day before the two-day third INDIA bloc meeting, Mayawati said BSP has been fighting against the policies of the constituents of both groupings
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Wednesday ruled out an alliance with either the Opposition Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), calling the parties in the groupings mostly “anti-poor, casteist, communal and pro-rich”.
In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) a day before the two-day third INDIA bloc meeting in Mumbai, Mayawati said BSP has been continuously fighting against the policies of the constituents of both groupings. “That is why the question of contesting elections in alliance with the two alliances does not arise.” She added the BSP will contest the 2024 national polls and the assembly elections before that on its own.
Polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, and Telangana, which account for roughly 15% of India’s population, are expected to set the tone for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Mayawati asked the media to refrain from spreading fake news. “Despite the manipulations and maneuvering of the opponents, the BSP will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the assembly polls on its own like in 2007 [Uttar Pradesh polls] and unite millions of neglected people on the basis of mutual brotherhood.”
Mayawati became the chief minister for the fourth time when the BSP swept back to power with a full majority in Uttar Pradesh in 2007. The party’s support base has since eroded significantly. It could win just one seat in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly in 2022. The BSP contested the 2019 national polls in alliance with INDIA constituent and arch-rival Samajwadi Party and improved its tall from zero to 10 seats.
Mayawati said all political parties were eager for an alliance with the BSP. “If the BSP does not opt for it, the opposition alleges collusion with the BJP.... If you meet the opposition leaders, then you are secular. If you do not meet them, then you are with the BJP. It is grossly unfair...”
In Mumbai, the INDIA bloc is expected to form an 11-member coordination committee and to discuss the broader approach for state-specific seat-sharing arrangements at the state level. A formula to create at least five other panels to handle specific tasks in the run-up to the 2024 general elections was also likely to be discussed.
A draft joint statement to be issued after the Mumbai meeting was under preparation amid talks on sharing social media content for better impact in the digital space.
The INDIA bloc held its first two meetings meeting in Patna (June 23) and Bengaluru (July 17-18).
