'You are free to contest all 80 LS seats in UP': Mayawati snubs Congress, says SP-BSP can defeat BJP on its own

In a clear message to the Congress party, BSP supremo Mayawati on Monday said that the BSP-SP alliance can defeat the BJP on its own in the Lok Sabha elections and does not need the support of the Rahul Gandhi-led party.

In a series of tweets, Mayawati said the Congress should feel free to contest in all 80 seats in UP.

This came a day after the Congress on Sunday announced that it will seven seats for the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance in Uttar Pradesh. 

"Congress is fully free in Uttar Pradesh and should field its own candidate for contesting on all the 80 Lok Sabha seats. Our alliance (SP-BSP) alone is capable of defeating the BJP. Congress should not forcibly spread rumours by leaving 7 seats in UP for the SP-BSP alliance," tweeted Mayawati.

The former chief minister also clarified that the BSP is not in alliance with the Congress in any other state.

"BSP once again wants to make it very clear that in Uttar Pradesh and in the country as a whole we are not in any form of alliance or agreement with Congress. Our people should not pay heed to the rumours spread by the Congress," she said. 

"The Congress is leaving seven Lok Sabha seats in the state for the SP, BSP and RLD alliance. These include Mainpuri, Kannauj and Firozabad. Apart from this, the party will not field any candidate on seats from where BSP chief Mayawati, RLD chief Ajit Singh and his son Jayant Chaudhary are likely to contest or may contest," UP Congress chief Raj Babbar told reporters in Lucknow.

He, however, could not tell the name of the seventh Lok Sabha seat, which the Congress will be leaving for the alliance.

"The alliance has left the seats of Rae Bareli (held by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi) and Amethi(held by Congress president Rahul Gandhi). In a reciprocating gesture, we are leaving seven Lok Sabha seats for them," Babbar said.

When asked whether it is Badaun, he replied in the negative.

On March 8, the Samajwadi Party had released its first list of nine candidates for the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, fielding party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav from its stronghold Mainpuri.

The party later announced that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav would contest from Kannauj, where she is the sitting MP.

The party has decided to field MPs Dharmendra Yadav and Akshay Yadav from the current seats of Badaun and Firozabad, respectively.

Incidentally, the Congress had announced Saleem Iqbal Shervani as its candidate from Badaun.

(With PTI inputs)