A day after the Bhim Army Chief Chandrasekhar Azad held a road show in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency of Varanasi, BSP Chief Mayawati on Sunday accused the BJP of supporting the Dalit leader for splitting the caste vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

"To split the votes of Dalits and to benefit itself, the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) has put up Chandrasekhar Azad to contest from Varanasi. This group has been formed under a conspiracy and the BJP, through this, is playing its heinous anti-Dalit politics," Mayawati tweeted.

"First the BJP tried to send Chandrasekhar in the BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) to spy but its conspiracy failed. To remove the arrogant, autocratic, casteist and communal BJP from power, every single vote is precious. Don't let your vote be wasted -- an appeal," she said in another tweet.

Azad on Saturday held a road show in Varanasi and announced that he will be contesting against Modi.

The BSP, which scored a nil in 2014, is contesting the Lok Sabha elections this time in alliance with the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).

The BSP is contesting 38 seats, the SP 37, and the RLD in three, leaving two seats for the Congress.

The BJP-led NDA had won 73 out of 80 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Uttar Pradesh will see a seven-phase polling, scheduled from April 11 to May 19.

--IANS

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