Mayawati to go solo in bypolls in a bid to regain lost ground

india

Updated: Jun 05, 2019 09:37 IST

Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati has started preparations for the 2022 assembly election by announcing that her party will contest the upcoming by-elections on 11 assembly seats that were vacated after the election of sitting MLAs to the Lok Sabha, a party leader said.

Mayawati’s decision has surprised political observers as she had taken a policy decision, after losing power in 2012, to not contest any by-poll and focus on Lok Sabha and assembly polls.

A senior party leader, who did not wish to be named, said: “The party has bagged 10 Lok Sabha seats, yet it failed to get the desired result. Mayawati has decided to contest the by-poll to maintain momentum among party cadre and to gear them up for 2022 assembly polls,” he said.

Political observer RK Gautam said, “To send a message to alliance partners Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal that she is a hard bargainer, Mayawati decided to contest the upcoming by-poll on 11 assembly seats.”

Confident that the BSP would not contest the assembly by-poll, the SP leaders were hopeful of BSP support on 11 seats.

“BSP’s decision has upset the plans of SP. Its president Akhilesh Yadav announced that his party would also contest the by-poll on its own. But both leaders have kept the door open for future realignment. Before the by-poll, the duo might come to talking table,” Gautam said.