'BSP Candidates Are Decided In BJP Offices': Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday (12 March)  alleged that Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidates are decided in the offices of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), and that the BSP was acting like the B-team of the saffron party.

His remarks came two days after BSP leader Umashankar Singh accused SP of being the B-team of BJP.

Meanwhile, BSP supremo’s nephew Akash Anand has alleged that SP lost due to Akhilesh and his uncle Shivpal’s dictatorship.

Speaking at a party event in Sitapur on Sunday, Akhilesh said, “The BSP has lost the path shown by Babasaheb Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram. The party is with the BJP. In the Vidhan Sabha (State Legislative Assembly) elections, the BSP candidates were not fielded to win, but to keep the SP in check.”

Both the SP and BSP are fighting an uphill political battle in Uttar Pradesh since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

For the upcoming Lok Sabha polls of 2024, while BSP chief Mayawati has confirmed that she would fight the elections outside of any alliance, SP has confirmed its alliance with the Jayant Chaudhary-led Rashtriya Lok Dal.