Mayawati refuses to contest bypolls with allies

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's decision not to contest the two crucial assembly byelections in February jointly with the Bharatiya Janata Party does not portend well for the BJP-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance.

The Gauriganj seat is a part of the Amethi parliamentary constituency, the political bastion of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. It fell vacant following the death of Congress MLA Noor Mohammed.

Mayawati turned down the BJP's request to leave the Gauriganj seat for its candidate Tej Bhan, who lost to the Congress nominee by 300 votes in the last assembly election.

The other seat is Haidergarh in Barabanki district, which was vacated by former chief minister and BJP leader Rajnath Singh, with whom Mayawati never got along.

The chief minister has made contesting both the seats a prestige issue.

"The chief minister told me that the BSP's commitment to align with the BJP is restricted to Lok Sabha elections, not for assembly seats," UP Housing and Urban Development Minister Lalji Tandon told newspersons.

At the state level, he is considered as the moving force behind the alliance with the BSP and is perceived as sharing a good rapport with Mayawati.

However, on Friday even he sounded a bit peeved.

But other state BJP leaders, who have been vocal opponents of Mayawati's conduct vis-à-vis its alliance partner, are not willing to swallow this rebuff.

"When she is not prepared to come to an understanding on two assembly seats, how will she agree to an alliance in the Lok Sabha poll?" asked a senior BJP MLA adding 'this partnership (with the BSP) is ultimately going to cost us dear'.

Those of his ilk, which is believed to include Rajnath Singh, state BJP chief Vinay Katiyar and Kalraj Mishra, fail to understand why the BJP's central leadership continues to patronise Mayawati.