In what could be an advantage for the BJP in the general elections, BSP president Mayawati announced on Monday that her party would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on its own and would consider a post-poll alliance.

The announcement by the BSP, though politically expected, will weaken the prospects of the Opposition alliance INDIA Bloc, comprising the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, which was hoping to rope in the BSP for a mega Congress, SP, and the BSP combine to upset the ruling party’s tally in the State which sends the highest number of Lok Sabha members.

On the other hand, the tussle continues in the larger Opposition Bloc INDIA as the West Bengal Congress has now officially communicated that any truck with the TMC would be “suicidal.”

The BSP is not part of the Opposition INDIA Bloc. Although there have been reports that some alliance members have tried to persuade Mayawati to join the group, the SP has indicated that it is not keen on this.

Talking to reporters at the State party office in Lucknow on her 68th birthday, Mayawati also categorically denied reports in a section of the media about her retirement from politics and stressed that she will continue to strengthen the party until her last breath.

Mayawati also cautioned her party members against her rival in the State, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, saying he changed colours like a chameleon to mislead them.

She said after the Lok Sabha elections, the BSP can join the Government at the Centre on the basis of proper representation to the party.

“The party will not contest the elections in alliance with anyone, but after the polls, unlike the previous times, the party is no longer going to give ‘free support’ from outside,” the BSP chief said.

“Regarding the elections, I want to make it clear again that our party will fight the Lok Sabha polls alone on the strength of the poor and marginalised sections, especially Dalits, tribals, Muslims, and people of other religious minority communities. It was on their strength that in 2007, we formed a Government with full majority in Uttar Pradesh by contesting the elections alone. Therefore, keeping in mind the past experience, our party will contest the Lok Sabha elections alone,” she said.

Rejecting reports of her retirement circulating on social media after she recently made her nephew Akash Anand her political successor, Mayawati said they are “fake” and have no basis. “I will continue to strengthen the BSP until my last breath.” Akash Anand was not present at the Press conference.

Mayawati clarified that the BSP will keep its distance from all parties having casteist, capitalist, and communal views.

“If the Lok Sabha elections are held as free and fair as the 2007 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections when there were no irregularities or rigging in EVMs, then our party will bring better results by contesting the polls alone,” she said.

Giving the reason for not siding with any party or alliance in the upcoming elections, Mayawati said, “Our party is contesting alone because its leadership is in the hands of a Dalit against whom the casteist mentality of most of the parties has not changed yet.”

“Many parties want to contest elections in alliance with the BSP... But it is very important for us to look after the interest of our party,” she said.

However, the BSP chief said the support can be extended after the elections if there is proper participation, but this support will not be given for free.

She said all the Opposition parties want to keep the BSP away from power by uniting and adopting various tactics.

The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also said she has received an invitation for the January 22 consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, but a decision on attending it has not been taken yet because of certain party programmes.

According to West Bengal Congress sources, the PCC leaders through Congress observer GA Mir communicated to the AICC that either the party should consider going it alone in the State --- “which would be better organisationally” — or consider an alliance with the Left Front.

“An alliance with the TMC will not only be counterproductive but suicidal,” a senior PCC leader said. Mir, who was recently in Kolkata — to discuss the preparations of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which is likely to pass through some parts of this State too — had met senior PCC leaders like Adhir Chowdhury.

While the Left Front has already said there is no question of allying with the TMC, what seems to have jolted the INDIA Block further in Bengal is the TMC’s unwillingness to part with more than two seats in the State.

The Congress is also peeved with the TMC for asking for seats in Assam in lieu of leaving seats in Bengal.