Akhilesh Yadav cautions voters against divided mandate

No guarantee who the BSP will ally with, says SP chief

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday appealed to voters in Uttar Pradesh to not waste their votes on the BSP, insinuating that the Mayawati-led party could tie-up with the BJP for power.

“There is no guarantee with whom the BSP may align,” Mr. Yadav said in Sandila in Hardoi district in central U.P., where the SP’s ally, the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) is contesting. In a three-way contest, the SP-SBSP’s Sunil Arkavanshi is pitted against Alka Arkavanshi of the BJP and Abdul Mannan of the BSP.

Mr. Mannan, a three-time former MLA, is considered a dark horse. In subtle acknowledgment of the BSP’s potential to ruin its challenge to the BJP, as the party has fielded strong candidates including Muslims on several seats, Mr. Yadav reminded voters that they should vote to change the government. 

“This election is to form a government. Is the Congress forming a government? Is the BSP forming government? It is a direct contest between the people and the BJP. And the SP stands with the people,” Mr. Yadav said, expressing confidence that his party was forming a majority government and had already scored a century (100 seats) in the 403-member Assembly. 

The former chief minister also took a dig at Ms. Mayawati, without naming her, and asked: “Tell me, those sitting on the elephant (BSP symbol), where will they end up? In which party is their guru?”