Samajwadi Party accuses official machinery of contesting polls for BSP

Samajwadi Party today reacted sharply to chief minister Mayawati's announcement that the BSP would not contest any by-elections till the next assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, saying that the official machinery had been fighting the battle of ballots for BSP ever since it had come to power.

"Why should the BSP contest elections when the administration is contesting it for the party and official machinery would do the same in future also", SP's national spokesman Mohan Singh told newspersons here.

"In fact it is the administration which has been contesting all elections for the BSP ever since it came to power in the state", Mohan Singh said, adding that the same had been the case in the Doomariyaganj assembly by-election which the ruling party had won.

Flaying what he termed as the height of politicisation of the administration, Singh said officials had been addressing press conferences even on political issues.

Terming the result of Doomariyaganj assembly bypoll as "not unexpected", Singh said it was in tune with the showing in the Lok Sabha elections and blamed a small local party for it.

"Smaller local parties having influence in one to two assembly segments are fielded by the ruling party and they spoil the politics of the state", Singh said, adding that his party had taken this issue very seriously and would deliberate on ways and means to counter it.