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Mayawati keeps her distance from UPA, NDA

Mayawati

LUCKNOW: With less than 24 hours to go for the election results, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati prefers to keep her distance from both the United Progressive Alliance and the National Democratic Alliance.

While the Chief Minister has remained incommunicado after the last phase of the Lok Sabha polls on May 13, the State BSP dismissed as baseless reports in a section of the media that the party was in touch with both alliances.

A BSP spokesman said in a statement here on Friday that the reports were the handiwork of the opposition parties to create confusion among the people.

The denial came in the background of the reported meeting between CPI(M) and BSP general secretaries Prakash Karat and Satish Chandra Mishra in New Delhi on Friday. Mr. Mishra was sent by Ms. Mayawati to discuss the options before the Third Front in case the people handed a fractured mandate. BSP sources here could not confirm whether or not the Chief Minister would attend the proposed Third Front meeting on May 18.

Having projected herself as a potential prime ministerial candidate, Ms. Mayawati was banking on a rich haul of seats from her State. In the 2004 polls, the BSP won 19 seats. The tally would increase to 35-40, BSP leaders claimed.

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