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Mayawati to address her first rally in Karnataka today
Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and BSP chief Mayawati will address her first rally in the Karnataka polls on Friday. The BSP has decided to contest the polls alone.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati would address her first rally in the high-stake Karnataka polls on Friday.
Mayawati has decided to contest the Karnataka assembly polls alone.
The BSP leaders said that apart from Punjab, where the BSP has inked a pact with Shiromani Akali Dal, her party doesn’t have a pact with any other political parties anywhere across the country. According to BSP leaders, Mayawati would address a rally on the Palace Ground campus in Bengaluru. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has twice campaigned for the BJP in Karnataka.
“Behenji would reach Bengaluru on Friday morning and address a rally in the evening,” BSP leaders said adding that a massive crowd is expected. The Karnataka polls are likely to be a three-cornered contest between the Congress, BJP and the JD (S) and Mayawati’s decision to participate in Karnataka polls is being interpreted variously.
While her party leaders said that the decision was based on BSP’s expansion plans, few opposition leaders, like those from the Congress felt that BSP’s decision to contest the elections in Karnataka was aimed at helping the BJP.
Though this isn’t the first time Mayawati has been accused of trying to help the BJP, yet in the past Mayawati and her party have cited instances where despite BSP not contesting, the BJP won.
“In Azamgarh Lok Sabha by polls the BSP’s decision to field a candidate was held responsible for BJP’s win and SP’s defeat in the bypoll. But, then why the Samajwadi Party lose the Gola assembly bypoll from which the BSP had stayed out or the Rampur assembly by poll from which the BSP stayed out,” a BSP leader asked.
Mayawati’s decision to field 11 Muslim of the total 17 mayoral candidates in the ongoing urban local body polls has received criticism from parties like the Samajwadi Party or the Congress who felt it was a ploy by BSP to scatter the Muslim vote.
