Mayawati denies alliance with SP for 2019 elections, but no BSP candidate to contest Gorakhpur, Phulpur bypolls

Denying reports of a tie-up  with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha election, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati said on Sunday that her party has not entered into an alliance with “any political party”.

[caption id=“attachment_3221694” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File images of Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati. PTI[/caption] However, Mayawati also  said ,“We have not floated any candidate for the Lok Sabha Phulpur and Gorakhpur bypolls. Our party members will exercise their vote to defeat the BJP candidate.” She was referring to the bypolls to be held in Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats — constituencies vacated by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya. The Samajwadi Party has already fielded Pravin Nishad from Gorakhpur and Nagendra Singh Patel from Phulpur. Earlier on Sunday, the BSP’s Gorakhpur in-charge Ghanshyam Chandra Kharwar was reported to have declared support to Nishad for upcoming bypoll in Gorakhpur

Even in Phulpur, BSP was reported to have extended support to the Samajwadi Party candidate. “Our workers want to eliminate the BJP and that is why the members of Bahujan Samaj Party have decided to extend support and vote for the Samajwadi Party candidate Nagendra Singh Patel in the Phulpur bypoll,” ANI quoted Ashok Gautam, BSP Zonal Coordinator in Allahabad, as saying. Voting for the Lok Sabha by-elections in these two constituencies will be held on 11 March, while counting of votes will be held on 14 March. With inputs from PTI