BSP to contest Bihar polls alone

Claiming that the Bahujan Samaj Party had always increased its vote bank with successive elections, party supremo Mayawati on Wednesday ruled out forming any alliances for the coming Bihar Assembly polls.

At a state-level rally of the party, organised to focus the government's attention on reservation in the private sector and clearance of backlog in the reservations in government jobs, she threatened to withdraw support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre if they did not change their "attitude and policies towards the Dalits and did not fulfill the promises made for their welfare."

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Mayawati said her party would contest the Bihar assembly elections on its own. The BSP would not enter into any alliance or understanding, friendly or otherwise with any other party, she said.

The BSP chief pooh-poohed Lok Jan Shakti Party president and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan's stand in respect of a Muslim chief minister for Bihar and asked as to what he would do in the event of the non-availability of a Muslim amongst the elected candidates of his party.