Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati had welcomed the poll dates announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday. However she demanded that immediate efforts should be taken by the Commission so that the coming General budget of the Narendra Modi’s government scheduled to be presented on February 1, just before polls, could not take place.
"ECI should prevent the Centre to hold the general budget on February 1, as it could violate the election model code of conduct," she said while apprehending that BJP would utilise the opportunity to announce sops for the public to garner support in the coming elections. It may be mentioned that then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in the Centre had postponed the general budget presentation during elections last time in Uttar Pradesh and some other states in 2012. This time, National Democratic Alliance government even pre-poned the budget announcement and it will be presented just three days before start of coming Assembly elections.
Meanwhile Mayawati once again ruled out any alliance and said that BSP would contest the assembly polls in Punjab, Uttarakhand and UP alone and there would be no pact. The BSP president also demanded that central forces should be deployed in large numbers in UP polls to hold free and fair elections.
In a press statement released here on Wednesday afternoon, Mayawati admitted that ECI has to take stern action against any irregularities to conduct a free and fair poll. "There is a strong indication that the present Samajwadi Party government could indulge in malpractices during the elections and misuse the government machinery for its own benefit," she alleged. Earlier ECI announced seven phase assembly polls in UP starting from February 11 to March 8. The counting will take place on March 11.