BSP to go solo in Maharashtra, Jharkhand elections & UP bypolls: Mayawati

Bahujan Samaj Party ( BSP ) chief Mayawati on Tuesday said her party will go solo in the upcoming Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly polls , hours after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced schedules for the state elections.

She also said that BSP will contest on its own in the Uttar Pradesh bypolls, which will be held on nine assembly constituencies.

Welcoming the announcement of the poll schedule, Mayawati said it is the responsibility of the poll body to ensure that the elections are held in the shortest possible time and are "free from the curse of money and muscle power".

"The BSP will contest elections alone in both these states...," she said, adding it is to ensure that its people remain united and strive to come to power as part of their mission to protect dignity and self-respect inspired by B R Ambedkar.

1. भारत निर्वाचन आयोग द्वारा महाराष्ट्र व झारखण्ड राज्य विधानसभा आमचुनाव के लिए तारीख़ों की आज की गई घोषणा का स्वागत। चुनाव जितना कम समय में तथा जितना पाक-साफ अर्थात् धनबल व बाहुबल आदि के अभिशाप से मुक्त हो उतना ही बेहतर, जिसका पूरा दारोमदार चुनाव आयोग पर ही निर्भर। 1/3

— Mayawati (@Mayawati) October 15, 2024

"The BSP will field its candidates in the by-elections being held on nine assembly seats in UP and will fight this election on its own strength with full preparation and vigour," the former chief minister said in another post.

Assembly polls in Maharashtra will be held in a single phase on November 20, while voting in Jharkhand will take place in two phases -- November 13 and 20. Voting in the bypolls will be held on November 13.

The counting of votes will be held on November 23.

The Election Commission announced the bypolls for nine of the 10 vacant seats of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

It did not announce bypolls in the Milkipur seat of Ayodhya district due to pending election petition, according to news agency PTI.

All the seats except Sisamau fell vacant after their MLAs were elected as MPs in the Lok Sabha polls.

In Sisamau, SP MLA Irfan Solanki was disqualified after being convicted in a criminal case.

In the 2022 assembly polls, Sisamau, Katehari, Karhal, Milkipur and Kundarki were held by the Samajwadi Party, while the BJP had won Phulpur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan and Khair. The Meerapur seat was held by the RLD.

The Karhal seat fell vacant due to Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav getting elected from Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency in this year's parliamentary polls.