No prepoll tie-up: BSP

Ruling out the possibility of a pre-poll tie up, Bahujan Samaj Party today said it will contest the coming Lok Sabha elections alone.

Senior BSP leader Satish Chandra Misra termed as "baseless" reports that Congress and BSP leaders have been in touch on the issue of forging a pre-poll alliance.

He said it has always been the policy of BSP to contest the elections alone.

"You are asking this question following speculations in the media that BSP could have a pre-poll tie up. It is our policy to contest elections on our own strength.

"What has changed now that we would change our policy? There is no decision to forge a pre-poll alliance and we are set to contest the 543 Lok Sabha seats on our own," Misra told PTI here.

Asked whether BSP could have a post-poll alliance, the party General Secretary said he would not be in a position to comment on the issue now. "We are not having a pre-poll alliance and this is what I can tell you," he said.

He said BSP chief Mayawati is likely to clear the air about the speculation on January 15 when she addresses a rally in Lucknow on her 58th birthday.

"You will be convinced then that there is no scope for a pre-election pact," he said.

He also attacked the Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh over the issue of communal riots.

"There have been close to 40 communal clashes and riots in UP since the day SP took over power one half years ago. On the contrary, during the rule of Behenji (Mayawati), there was not even a single communal clash," he said.