BSP-SP ties intact, BJP's win 'immoral': Mayawati after RS poll defeat

Lucknow: A day after the BJP won nine out of the 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Friday said that the saffron party will not succeed in breaking the ties between SP and BSP.

"I would like to tell BJP and company that their malpractices will not succeed in breaking the ties between SP and BSP. Yesterday's results have not affected the SP-BSP tie up in any way, not even by an inch," Mayawati said.

Accusing the BJP of indulging in malpractices, Mayawati said the party exterted all of its force to ensure that the BSP candidate does not win at any cost.

"The entire system was deployed to ensure that the newly formed ties between BSP and SP loosens," she added.

Attacking the BJP in sharp words, the BSP supremo said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah had used the system to make their candidates win, adding that an environment of fear was created due to which cross-voting happened.

However, exuding confidence in the tie-up, she said the "immoral" victory was not enough to make up for BJP's defeat in Uttar Pradesh bypolls.

Mayawati said that her party along with SP had come together with a plan to defeat the BJP candidate. She said that efforts were also made to ensure that Rajya Sabha election does not become a blot on the face of democracy.

Mayawati's BSP earlier on Friday suspended MLA Anil Singh who cross-voted in favour of BJP candidate in Rajya Sabha polls to serve his business interests.

Also read: Mamata welcomes Mayawati stand on SP-BSP understanding

Polling in the Rajya Sabha elections in UP on Friday were marked by cross voting and high drama.

Though elections for 59 seats in the Rajya Sabha was elected on Friday, the result of the BSP candidate — backed by the Samajwadi Party and the Congress — hogged limelight owing to the electoral impact that the SP-BSP alliance could have in Uttar Pradesh in 2019 polls.

A tough contest was seen between the BJP-backed independent candidate Anil Agarwal who got 22 first preference votes and the BSP candidate Bhimrao Ambedkar who got 33 first preference votes. The BSP candidate was backed by SP and Congress.

This election is expected to allow the BJP to consolidate its position as the largest party in the Rajya Sabha.