Mayawati to decide strategy after meeting in Delhi

LUCKNOW: A keen contest between the Congress and the BJP in Madhya Pradesh kindled hopes of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) playing a role in government formation in that state, an insider said.

The fact that the BSP won six seats in Rajasthan also buoyed the party.

Fearing that rival parties may indulge in horse- trading to gain a majority in the assembly, Mayawati had directed senior leaders to keep a watch on the activities of the victorious party candidates, the insider said.

“Mayawati will chair a meeting of newly elected MLAs in Delhi to decide the future strategy,” said a BSP leader.

Mayawati had played a pivotal role in stalling the BJP in Karnataka and scripting formation of the Janata Dal (S)-CongressBSP government there even as the BJP emerged the single largest party in the assembly election held in May.

The BSP-JCC alliance either won or was leading in seven seats in Chhattisgarh where the Congress swept the polls. The BSP had won just one seat in the 2013 assembly election with a vote share of 4.27%.

In Madhya Pradesh, the BSP fielded candidates for 214 seats in the 230-member house. The BSP was leading in two seats, half its Madhya Pradesh tally in the 2013 election when it polled 6.29% votes.

In Rajasthan, the BSP bagged six seats. The party had won three seats in 2013, with a vote share of 3.37% across the state. It had contested 195 seats then.

In Telangana, the BSP failed to open its account despite fielding candidates in 119 seats as the Telangana Rashtra Samiti swept the state. In the 2014 assembly election, the BSP had won two seats there.