BSP to contest Bihar polls 'with full preparation': Mayawati

LUCKNOW: BSP president Mayawati today said her party will contest the coming assembly elections in Bihar with "full preparation" and "strength".

"BSP movement has its roots in Bihar and the party has been winning MLAs' seats there...BSP is a movement besides being a political party and for enhancing the party base as well as giving the movement a momentum, the next Assembly elections will be contested with full preparation and strength," she told party leaders from Bihar.

Mayawati, however, did not specify as to how many seats the party will contest in Bihar this time.

BSP had drawn a blank in the 2010 Bihar assembly polls though it had contested 239 of the 243 seats. In 2005, it won two seats after fielding candidates in 238 constituencies. BSP had bagged five of the 249 seats it had contested in 2000, when undivided Bihar had 324 assembly seats (RPT when undivided Bihar had 324 assembly seats).

Reviewing the political situation as well as her party's preparations, Mayawati said majority of Dalits, most backwards and Muslims are not in a good position in Bihar academically, socially and politically as the governments there have not done anything concrete in their interest and for their welfare as she had done in Uttar Pradesh as the Chief Minister, a BSP release said.

The former UP Chief Minister said that if these sections unitedly associate with BSP, there condition can be improved as envisaged by Ambedkar.

Mayawati, who also discussed in detail BJP's electoral strategy as well as peoples feelings towards Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) government, stressed that since her party is the party of the 'sarv samaj', it should be taken into consideration while selecting candidates while giving special attention to those who have remained associated with BSP movement.