The Mayawati-led BSP on Thursday called the ruling NCP’s bluff, when it categorically stated that it had no plans to ally with Sharad Pawar-led party for the Maharashtra Assembly polls and announced that it would contest all the 288 seats in the state on its own strength.
A day after the State NCP unit set off speculation that it was exploring the possibility of severing its alliance with the Congress and having a tie-up with the Mayawati-led party for the State Assembly polls, the State BSP president Vilas Garud not only denied that his party had any plans to ally with the NCP, but also accused the Sharad Pawar-led party of trying to strike a better bargain with the Congress in its seat-sharing talks, through ‘false rumours’.
Talking to mediapersons here, Garud said that there was absolutely no truth in the media reports that suggested that the NCP and BSP were planning to have an alliance for the State Assembly polls.
“After some media reports suggested that Pawar is likely to meet Behenji today, I telephoned her. She said there was neither any telephonic contact by NCP leadership nor was any meeting scheduled with Pawar in New Delhi. She has asked me to categorically announce in Maharashtra that our party will contest all 288 seats in the State Assembly polls on our own strength,” the State BSP chief said.