Mayawati, Bahujan Samaj Party chief, says she will not contest 2019 Lok Sabha Elections

In a surprise move, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has announced that she will not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Addressing media, the BSP chief said that ‘Mahagathbandhan’ is set to win every single seat. She said that the priority is to defeat the BJP. Minutes before making the announcement, Mayawati said that she can contest form any seat and the party workers will ensure her victory. Its alliance partner Samajwadi Party has yet not reacted to the development.

Earlier, the Congress on Sunday said it would leave more than a dozen Lok Sabha seats for other parties, including seven for the SP, BSP and RLD alliance in the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh. However, Mayawati had rebuked the Grand Old Party and it can keep all the seats. There is no alliance with the Congress across country. After Mayawati's retort to the Congress, the Samajwadi Party Monday asked the grand old party not to spread any kind of confusion while maintaining that the BSP-SP-RLD alliance is capable of defeating the BJP in Uttar Pradesh.

The decision of the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) to come together in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha election 2019 could turn out to be a massive setback for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), according the News Nation’s national opinion poll. The opinion poll conducted by the news channel found that the BJP and the Apna Dal may garner only 35 seats in the General Elections beginning from April 11. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP bagged 71 of the 80 seats, surpassing its highest tally of 58 seats in the state which had catapulted the NDA to power in 1998.

On the other hand, the SP, BSP, RLD grand alliance may secure 43 seats, which could be a significant improvement from their last General Elections performance. The SP, BSP and RLD have forged an alliance while elbowing the Congress out of it. The SP-BSP bonhomie won the Lok Sabha by-elections in Gorakhpur, Phulpur and Kairana last year. The Congress led by Rahul Gandhi may only win two seats.