BJP tried to manipulate civic polls in UP but didn't succeed: Mayawati

Lucknow: BSP supremo Mayawati on Thursday claimed the BJP did not succeed in the recent urban local body elections in Uttar Pradesh despite its efforts to "manipulate" the polls, except for the mayor's posts.

Accusing the ruling party of misusing official machinery, the Bahujan Samaj Party leader said people did not allow the BJP's plans to succeed, "except for the mayoral elections" – in which the BJP won all 17 posts.

"If the mayor's elections were also done by ballot instead of the electronic voting machines, the result would have definitely been different," she claimed.

However, according to the results of the two-phase urban local body elections held on May 4 and May 11, the BJP won the mayoral elections in all 17 municipal corporations and bagged 813 of the 1,420 corporator posts. The opposition Samajwadi Party bagged 191 corporator posts and the Bahujan Samaj Party 85. The BSP and the SP could not win a single mayoral seat.

Mayawati urged the Election Commission to put an effective check on the misuse the official machinery by the ruling party in the elections, as well as curbing the influence of religion in politics.

According to a party leader, who attended a review meeting chaired by Mayawati, the BSP also deliberated on contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections alone.

"Despite the tall claims of the BJP, the reality is that efforts were made to manage and manipulate these elections right from the beginning, but the people did not allow BJP's plans to succeed, except for the mayoral election," the BSP president said.

She alleged that her party's mayoral nominees were defeated in Agra and Saharanpur under a "conspiracy".

Complaints about discrimination, heinous tactics and gross misuse of government machinery at every level and disturbing the voter list etc by the BJP and the Samajwadi Party have been common in Uttar Pradesh where the people have long been yearning for development, rule of law and an environment free from casteism and communalism, Mayawti said.

Because of these reasons, the just-concluded municipal elections have also been greatly affected and the general perception is that the anger of the people, who are suffering from inflation, poverty, unemployment, wrong government policies, has not been properly reflected in the form of votes, she said.

Mayawati, during the meeting, gave necessary directions to partymen to prepare for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The people of UP want a bright future for their families by getting rid of poverty, helplessness and backwardness and in such a situation, the BSP has to emerge as the right and meaningful option for change of power, she said.

The BSP supremo also said those associated with the party should never forget to keep the party financially strong for meeting the election and other expenses.