A day after state Assembly election results, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati said on Friday that the poll results in Uttar Pradesh were a 'lesson for us'.
The former chief minister pointed out that it has become clear that the BSP was not "BJP's B Team" and that negative campaigns succeeded in misleading the people of the state. The BSP which formed a full majority government in Uttar Pradesh in 2007 managed to win just one seat this time with a vote share of 12.88 per cent.
Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, the BSP chief urged her party workers not to be disheartened but to continue their efforts to carry forward the BSP's movement of coming back to power in the state.
"Negative campaigns succeeded in misleading... that BSP is BJP's B-team... while the truth is opposite, BJP vs BSP war was not only political but principled and electoral as well," the BSP chief said.
The 77-year-old leader said that UP election results were opposite to the expectations of the BSP.
"UP election results are opposed to BSP's expectations. We should not be discouraged by it. Instead, we should learn from it, introspect and carry forward our party movement, and come back to power," she said.
She cited the examples of BJP and Congress who had built on their respective party bases after their poll defeats and went on to form governments in Uttar Pradesh.
"...Before 2017 BJP did not have a good stake in Uttar Pradesh. Likewise today, Congress is also undergoing the same phase as BJP...UP election result is a lesson for us to continue putting in efforts," Mayawati said.
The BJP has retained power in Uttar Pradesh by winning 255 out of 403 constituencies, securing a 41.29 per cent vote share.
As per the Election Commission's website, the BJP has won 255 seats, while its allies Apna Dal (Sonelal) and NISHAD party have won 12 and six seats, respectively.
The SP has won 111 seats, while its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has won eight seats. The Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, another ally of the SP, has won six seats. The Congress has won two seats, while the BSP has won one.
The BJP has secured a vote share of 41.3 per cent, while the SP has bagged 32.1 per cent of the votes. The BSP and the Congress managed to secure 12.9 per cent and 2.33 per cent votes, respectively. RLD received 2.85 per cent of the votes.
(With inputs from Agencies)
