Will Mayawati now go with BJP in Lok Sabha polls?

Lucknow: With the lone Bahujan Samaj Party MLA, Uma Shankar Singh, voting for the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls, there is now a strong buzz in political circles that the BSP is set to ally with NDA in the Lok Sabha polls.

Till now, the BSP had claimed to maintain an equal distance from the NDA and the INDIA bloc.

Uma Shankar Singh, the MLA from Ballia’s Rasra seat, said that he voted for the BJP candidate on Tuesday after receiving the green signal from BSP chief Mayawati.

“The NDA candidate, Sanjay Seth, approached me for support. The INDIA bloc leaders did not approach me. I have a cordial relationship with Seth and after permission from the party chief, I voted for the BJP candidate,” he said.

As recently as last week, Mayawati had announced that her party would contest the LS polls independently, asserting that past experiences with alliances did not bode well.

A BSP leader said that after supporting the BJP candidate in the RS polls, Mayawati could consider an alliance with the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.

“Though she may still assert that she will go it alone but, in politics, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes,” said a senior leader.