No Congress-BSP tie-up in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan assembly elections

After snubbing the Congress in Chhattisgarh, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has decided to discontinue pre-poll alliance talks with the Congress in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, a party insider said. The BSP was likely to go solo in both the states, the insider added.

The decision was taken even as BSP chief Mayawati reviewed the preparation for assembly elections in three states and screened a list of candidates on Friday, a senior party leader said.

Bahujan Samaj Party national general secretary Ramachal Rajbhar, who is in-charge of party affairs in Madhya Pradesh, said the party would release a list of 40 candidates soon. “We have already announced candidates for 22 seats, the candidates for the remaining 168 (MP) seats will be announced in the first week of October. The BSP has geared up its cadre to contest the assembly election on its own strength in the state. Behenji (Mayawati) will launch the election the campaign in October,” he said.

A senior BSP leader, who did not wish to be named said the Congress was offering few seats to the BSP; besides, the Congress was opening the doors for Dalit leader Devashish Jarariya, who was expelled by Mayawati.

In Rajasthan too, the BSP decided to go solo as the talks with the Congress had run into rough weather there, another BSP leader said.