Failing to get a single seat despite of remaining third in the country as far as voting percentage in concern, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati held her party's support to the UPA Government at the Centre responsible for the poll debacle. She alleged that false propaganda of the BJP, SP and conspiracy by the Opposition parties against the BSP was the main cause of her party drawing blank in this lok Sabha elections.
Though she maintained that in UP, the BJP only received 42 per cent of votes, meaning that still 58 per cent voters were against Narendra Modi. She said that division of Muslim votes and shifting of upper caste and backward votes towards the BJP were the other reason for the landslide victory of the BJP. Mayawati, claimed that the BSP's Dalit vote bank is intact and even the number of votes have increased to 1.60 crore this time from 1.51 crore in 2009.
“But our plan to support the corrupt and ineffective UPA at the Centre to prevent the communal forces, was the main reason for the party’s debacle,” she said. Addressing a Press conference here, Mayawati announced that in view of the poll results and the recent political scenario a national-level meeting has been convened in lucknow on May 20 to discuss about the future strategy and to draw a plan to strengthen the BSP movement.
"There is no failure in our innovative social engineering formula launched from 2007 elections, but now we have to engage the backwards, religious minorities, Muslims and even upper castes be made BSP cadre like the Dalits,'' the former UP Chief Minister said. However, she was very critical on the Muslims and said that even after her warning they did not vote 'wisely' and now they will have to suffer. "Samajwadi Party also conspired against us by making a rumour that Dalits are leaving the BSP, which also forced Muslims to vote for the SP,'' she said.
Without giving even a congratulation message to the PM in waiting Narendra Modi, she again raised the issue of the caste of Modi and said that the backwards, who voted for Modi, should know clearly that he is not from the backward community at all. Mayawati was particular that Dalits have not deserted her even after SP leaders did everything to confuse them. "Receiving around 20 per cent of vote share in the elections and BSP candidates coming on the second spot in 34 seats, itself is a proof enough that the party was not deserted by its core vote bank of Dalits,'' she said. She claimed that the BSP also received 2.28 crore votes in the country in this lok Sabha elections and continues to renaming the third national party after the BJP and the Congress.
Narrating in detail about the conspiracy of the SP and the BJP against the BSP in this elections, the BSP president said that before the first two phases of elections in Western UP, BJP leader Amit Shah made communal statement to divide the voters on Hindu-Muslim line, while the SP spread the rumour that dalits are deserting the BSP. "Muslims gave votes to the SP in large numbers but now they have to face the wrath, as SP would continue to harass them,'' she said.
Claiming a poll tactical between the Congress and the SP, which saved them from complete washout like the BSP, Mayawati said that SP did not field any candidate in Rae Bareli and Amethi, which are the only seats Congress won. While the Congress in return did not field candidates in three seats contested by the SP leaders and in two seats they gave weak candidates.
Congress had not given candidates in Mainpuri, Kannauj and Badaun while in Azamgarh and Ferozabad, they gave weak candidates, in which SP won. Taking on the BJP, she said that people of the country will have to repel to give their mandate for Narendra Modi, as he will face a severe challenge in fulfilling the promises to end poverty, unemployment, corruption and inflation. "BSP will take on the BJP and the new Central Government if they fail to keep up their promises,'' she announced.