Uttar Pradesh mayoral polls: Mayawati accuses BJP of misusing govt machinery

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati accused the ruling BJP of misusing government machinery in the Uttar Pradesh mayoral polls and said her party would not keep mum over it.

Lucknow: A day after the urban local body polls in Uttar Pradesh were announced, the National President of Bahujan Samaj Party and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) misused the government machinery and said her party will not keep mum over it.

In a series of tweets in Hindi on Sunday, Mayawati said, "The BSP is not going to sit silently over the BJP's misuse of government machinery." She also accused the ruling party of using 'saam', 'daam', 'dand', and 'bhed' at its disposal, and said, "When the time comes, the BJP will face the consequences."

Thanking people for extending support to her party, the BSP chief said, "Gratitude and thanks to the people for reposing faith in the BSP and voting for its candidates despite facing a host of adverse circumstances. Had this election been free and fair, the results would have been something else. If the mayoral elections were conducted using ballot papers, the BSP would have won."

"Whether it's the BJP or the SP, both parties are equally adept at winning elections through misuse of power. This is why the ruling party often manages to secure more seats through manipulation and this election was no different. It is a matter of great concern," Mayawati added.

The BSP had fielded mayoral candidates on all the 17 seats in the state, but none could register a win while the BJP swept the mayoral elections, winning the posts in all the municipal corporations in Varanasi, Ayodhya, Mathura-Vrindavan, Jhansi, Lucknow, Bareilly, Prayagraj, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Shahjahanpur, Aligarh, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, Agra, Meerut, Gorakhpur and Firozabad. (With Agency Inputs)