Mayawati Appeals to Vote for Cong in Amethi, Raebareli

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday, 5 May, appealed to the workers of the Samajwadi Party (SP)-BSP alliance to vote for the Congress in Monday's election when people in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi and Rae Bareli will cast their ballots.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi is fighting from Amethi while his mother and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi is the candidate from Rae Bareli.

In a statement, Mayawati said: “The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress are alike. We have not done any coalition with the Congress but to defeat the BJP, our coalition will vote for the Congress in Amethi and Rae Bareli.”

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"In the four phases of elections, the public has supported the SP-BSP coalition, which is disturbing the BJP. This alliance will not only make a new Prime Minister at the Centre but also a new government in Uttar Pradesh," she said.

Rahul Gandhi had earlier said the Congress’ primary aim was to defeat the BJP, and that they were working towards it in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections. Gandhi added that the Congress was helping the Mahagathbandhan in the state to fulfil this ambition.

Speaking to NDTV on the sidelines of an election rally in Chomu, Rajasthan, Gandhi said, “In Uttar Pradesh, a secular formation is going to win the election. Whether the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party or the Congress, a secular party will win the vote.”

He explained that the Congress was not actually dividing the Opposition vote by fielding Priyanka Gandhi to campaign in the state, and that their plan was to help the Mahagathbandhan wherever the Congress did not have strong candidates.

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“Wherever we don’t have a strong candidate, we are helping the SP and the BSP. We are harming the BJP. Where we have strong candidates, we are fighting to defend our space,” Gandhi said.

The results of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections will be announced on 23 May.

(With inputs from IANS, NDTV)