BSP Supremo Mayawati Says BJP Will Be Out Of Power Unless It Manipulates Voting Machines, Urges EC To Curb Use Of Religion In Politics: Reports

Former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Mayawati, has urged the Election Commission (EC) to curb the use of religion in politics during elections ahead of state assembly election in UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab and other states. She added that the state machinery should have the fear of the EC.

She also urged the people of Uttar Pradesh to ensure that they do not fall for the promises made in the "pralobhan bhare chunavi ghoshna patron" by certain parties and make sure of the welfare of students, women, youth, senior citizens, farmers, the weaker sections of the society, labourers, workers, businessmen and the people of the state in general.

She said that the people should vote for the BSP which sees no difference in its words and actions and takes firm action when it comes to ensuring law and order in the state. She added that the BSP takes care of people from all sections of society, and it is the only party doing so.

She expressed her concerns on the "increasing" use of religion in politics. She has been quoted as saying here: “In the past few years, during the elections, there have been attempts to derive electoral advantage using religion. This affects the election and the entire country is worried about this.” She said that the BSP respected the election and the voting process.

Mayawati mentioned that in the election of 2007, they (the survey agencies) showed the BSP out of the race and showed the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the race. She added that the results were the opposite of what the surveys claimed. The BSP was leading and the two other parties were lagging behind.

She claimed that the BSP will form a government with complete majority in UP on its own; will improve its performance in Uttarakhand and will form a government in Punjab in alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

She urged the EC to ensure free and fair elections and expressed concerns related to the way the BJP fights the election. She added that the BSP ruled with "kanoon ka raj" and did not spare the guilty from its own party. Mayawati accused the BJP of running "jungle raj" in the state.

She said that people of the upper castes who supported the BJP in enthusiasm are now disappointed, just as the people are from every caste and every section. She added that the BJP will be out of power unless it manipulates voting machines. Mayawati said that she hopes the people of the state will not be misled by any party. She said that she had called an important meeting to finalise the work on the list of candidates for the polls.