Mayawati says BSP will go it alone in Lok Sabha polls; targets Congress, its allies

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Wednesday reiterated her stance that she would go it alone in the upcoming assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, dubbing the Congress and the parties it is allying with as “casteist and capitalist”. The BSP chief came out clear on her stand a day after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) held a crucial meeting of its 38 allies while the Opposition alliance, now named Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), comprising the Congress and 25 other parties, held their second round of talks in Bengaluru.

According to sources who attended the Bengaluru meeting, Mayawati’s name did not come up for discussions. BSP had won 10 seats in the 2019 elections after allying with the SP but won only one seat in the recent assembly elections in UP. “Even the Congress has not been too keen in aligning with the party,” a leader said. However, it still holds a vote share of about 13%, making it significant enough to impact the results.

Mayawati said she will contest the 2024 elections, and the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, scheduled to take place later this year, alone. However, her party is okay with allying with non-NDA and non-INDIA regional parties in Punjab and Haryana.


Mayawati said Congress was allying with “casteist and capitalist parties” like itself while BJP was making shallow promises. Appealing to people belonging to weaker sections, Mayawati urged them to consolidate behind her party, cautioning that the two respective alliances would form a “majboor (helpless) and not mazboot (strong) governments”.