After BJP sweeping the mayor seats in Uttar Pradesh municipal elections, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday accused the ruling party of misusing government machinery.
BJP had won all the 17 municipal corporations in UP.
Mayawati said that they won't sit silently over it. “The BSP is not going to sit silently over BJP's misuse of government machinery...When time comes, the BJP will definitely face the consequences,” said Mayawati in a series of tweet in Hindi.
Despite losing the bypolls, the BSP chief expressed her gratitude to all those who voted for the candidates. "Gratitude and thanks to the people for reposing faith in the BSP and voting for its candidates despite facing a host of adverse circumstances. Had this election been free and fair, the results would have been something else. If the mayoral elections were conducted using ballot papers, the BSP would had won,” said Mayawati.
In Ayodhya, BJP's Girish Pati defeated rival Ashish of the Samajwadi Party by a margin of 35,638 votes. According to State Election Commission (SEC), BSP candidate Ram Murti got 12,852 votes while Congress' Pramila Rajput bagged 4,084 votes. In Jhansi too, BSP secured the third position.
Lucknow, Bareilly, Mathura-Vrindavan, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Prayagraj, Aligarh, Shahjahanpur, Ghaziabad, Agra, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Firozabad and Meerut are the other seats swept by BJP.
None of the mayor candidates fielded by the BSP won the elections.
"Whether it's the BJP or the SP, both parties are equally adept at winning elections through misuse of power. This is why the ruling party often manages to secure more seats through manipulation, and this election was no different. It is a matter of great concern," Mayawati added.
(With PTI inputs)
