BSP won't fight district panchayat polls in UP: Mayawati

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati on Monday said that her party will not contest District Panchayat polls in Uttar Pradesh this year.

Ms Mayawati said, "I want to clarify that if the elections would have been impartial, we would have definitely fought."

"Even though we are not contesting the Zilla Panchayat elections, we are fully active. We are holding regular meetings. We are preparing vigorously for the assembly elections," the former chief minister said in a statement.

Ms Mayawati said that the people of the party have been instructed that instead of spending their time and energy in this district panchayat election, they should invest in strengthening and increasing the base of the party in the society.

Ms Mayawati claimed, 'When the BSP government will be formed in the state, the district panchayat president will themselves join the BSP".

The BSP supremo also reiterated her Sunday's statement quashing the rumours about the BSP's alliance with AIMIM.

On Sunday, Ms Mayawati had said that the BSP has not tied up with the AIMIM for the UP assembly polls and the party will contest the polls solo.

The district panchayat elections would be held on July 3, in which BJP and SP were at loggerheads.

The ruling BJP has already clinched 17 districts of the total 75 unopposed, while SP has won in one. (UNI)