Don’t waste your vote on SP: Mayawati to Muslims

LUCKNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday advised Uttar Pradesh’s Muslim voters to not vote for the Samajwadi Party (SP) as it will only ‘benefit the BJP’.

“Do not waste your vote by supporting the SP in the assembly election or else it will benefit the BJP,” she said.

Highlighting the feud in the Yadav family, Mayawati predicated that Shivpal and Akhilesh Yadav’s supporters would try to ensure the defeat of each others’ candidates in the polls. “The Muslim community should also understand the fact that SP is badly engulfed in a family feud and a chance of (them) regaining power in 2017 is dim,” she said.

Her comment appeared to be a reflection of the concern that a likely grand alliance under Samajwadi Party might erode the BSP’s Muslim support base.

Speaking at a press conference within hours of the SP effort to unite Janata Parivar, Mayawati urged the leaders of the JD (U), RJD, RLD, JD (S) and INLD not to “fall into the trap of SP” by forming a grand alliance.

Terming the SP’s effort to form a grand alliance during the party’s silver jubilee celebration a damp squib, Mayawati said, “It’s a selfish ploy by the Yadav family to misguide people before elections. There is not a single reason for the secular parties to align with the SP after the experience in Bihar,” she said.