Mayawati hopes for key role in post-poll alliances

New Delhi: Bahujan Samaj Party chief Ms Mayawati on Tuesday hoped to play a key role in the “balance of power” at the Centre after the Lok Sabha polls. She also hit out at BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, while accusing them to be in “secret pacts”.

When asked about her Prime Ministerial ambition, Ms Mayawati said: “Who knows? We can get enough seats to tilt the balance of power at the Centre and other parties may decide to support us.” The BSP had contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections on the slogan of making Ms Mayawati the Prime Minister.

She made strong attempt to caution the Muslims against the campaign of the the SP chief. “It’s being said that the BSP had been a partner of the BJP in forming the government in Uttar Pradesh. The SP and BJP have a pact to misguide the Muslims. But they will not succeed in their attempts. Even when we had formed a government with the support of the BJP, we had weakened the communal forces in the state,” said Ms Mayawati, who will now be heading to Lucknow to spearhead the party campaign.

She also hit out at Mr Modi and reminded that Lokayukta could be formed in Gujarat after a delay of over a decade.