BSP not to contest Zilla Panchayat polls in UP

Bahujan Samaj Party will not contest the Zilla panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh this year, said party Chief Mayawati on Monday.

Addressing media, Mayawati alleged that the reason behind not contesting the election is horse-trading and misuse of state machinery done by the BJP-led government in Uttar Pradesh.

"We have decided not to contest Zilla panchayat elections in UP. I want to clarify if the elections would have been impartial, then we would have contested. In UP, winning the Zilla panchayat election depends on buying and selling and misuse of the government machinery. In this matter, BJP is also using the tactics Samajwadi Party used during its government. It was the reason when in 1995 we have to part ways with the Samajwadi party's government. Now BJP doing the same leading to weakening the roots of democracy," said the BSP Chief.

She further said that leaders and workers of the party have been instructed that instead of investing their time and energy in this Zilla panchayat election, they should invest in strengthening the organization and increasing its voter base in the state.

"The party workers and leaders are instructed to invest their time in strengthening the party in the state and doing public service so that this time the Bahujan Samaj Party is able to form the government on its own after the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. When the BSP government is formed here, the district panchayat president will themselves join BSP as they can't function without power," she added.

On Sunday, Mayawati had dismissed reports that BSP had entered into a tie-up with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) for Uttar Pradesh polls, and informed media that her party would contest alone in the state.

The BSP in Uttar Pradesh has been seeing defections and most of its leaders who have switched sides have gone to the Samajwadi Party. BSP had won 19 out of 403 seats in the 2017 assembly elections.

In Punjab, the party will be contesting the polls with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), a former ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

( With inputs from ANI )