Chhattisgarh Elections 2018: Mayawati rules out chances of post-poll alliance with BJP, Congress

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday blacklisted the possibility of forging an alliance with the BJP or the Congress to form the government in Chhattisgarh, describing the parties as "Saanpnath" and "Naagnath".

Dismissing the idea of tying up with the Congress or the BJP as hypothetical, Mayawati said her alliance with Ajit Jogi's Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) would get the absolute majority and if not they will prefer to sit in the Opposition.

"When our alliance is fully confident of getting an absolute majority (in the 90-member House), where does the question of a post-poll tie-up with the BJP or the Congress arise?" Mayawati said when asked about which way her party would go in such a scenario.

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"This is a mischievous question. The question does not arise. The second phase of the polling is yet to take place," the BSP chief told NDTV.

To a question as to why the BSP could not forge an alliance with the Congress, Mayawati said both the BJP and the Congress are "anti-poor, anti-farmer, anti-downtrodden and anti-weaker sections". Therefore, "there was no question of having any truck with either of the two," she asserted.

In what could be a big blow to the Congress, the BSP had in September announced its decision to contest the Chhattisgarh election in alliance with the JCC, declaring Ajit Jogi as the chief ministerial candidate of the BSP-JCC coalition.

While the JCC is contesting 55 assembly segments in Chhattisgarh, the BSP is in the fray in remaining 35 seats. In the outgoing House, the BSP has only one seat.

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Though Chhattisgarh has always been a straight fight between the BJP and the Congress this time the third front comprising Ajit Jogi's Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J), Mayawati's BSP and the CPI is expected to bing some significant changes in the post-poll scenario.

While 18 assembly constituencies in the state went to polls in the first phase of Chhattisgarh elections on Monday, the second phase of polling for remaining 72 seats will take place on Tuesday, November 20, 2018. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 11, 2018.