Maya has indicated BSP will come on board for ’19 alliance

NEWDELHI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi said on Friday he believed the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will tie up with his party for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections despite opting out of an alliance for the upcoming state polls.

Speaking after delivering the keynote address on the opening day of the 16th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Gandhi said the alliances in states are different from those at the national level.

“Mayawatiji has sort of indicated that. I think in the national elections, the parties will come together, particularly in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.

Asked if he does not rule out an alliance in the 2019 elections, Gandhi said, “That is the indication we have.”

The remarks came two days after Mayawati ruled out a tie-up with the Congress in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, accusing the Congress of being “arrogant” and “adamant” on not conceding to its demands during the seat-sharing negotiations.

She maintained both Gandhi and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s intentions in having an alliance with the BSP were honest. Mayawati had accused senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh of “sabotaging” the tie-up.

Rahul Gandhi insisted the Congress was accommodating in terms of seat adjustments in the poll-bound states.

“We were pretty flexible in the states. In fact, I was more flexible than some of our state leaders. But in the midst of conversation, they decided to go their own way,” the 48-year-old Congress chief said.

The BSP had demanded 50 of Madhya Pradesh’s 230 seats and 15 of the 90 in Chhattisgarh. But the Congress was willing to concede nine in Chhattisgarh and 20-22 in Madhya Pradesh. In Rajasthan, the Congress’s state unit had opposed a tie-up with any party.