SP, BSP announce tie-up for Lok Sabha polls sans Congress, to contest 38 seats each in UP

Once-arch rivals Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) announced Saturday their tie-up in Uttar Pradesh for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, sharing 38 seats each and keeping the Congress out of the alliance.

The parties, however, said they would not field candidates in Amethi and Rae Bareli, represented by Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. They also left two seats, out of 80, for smaller allies.

Making the announcement at a joint press conference with SP president Akhilesh Yadav here, BSP chief Mayawati said, "This...will rob 'guru-chela' -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah -- of their sleep."
To a question as to whether Mayawati could be the possible prime minister face of the alliance, Akhilesh said, "UP has given PM a number of times in the past and once again the next PM will be from UP."
Mayawati also charged the BJP with spending massive money on Shivpal Yadav, who has recently floated the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia (to split non-BJP votes) and said, "The money will go down the drains."
On the BJP seeking to drive a wedge between the SP and the BSP by frequently citing the infamous Lucknow guest house incident in 1995 when the BSP leader was targeted by SP supporters and goons, she said, "We have decided to prioritise national interest putting the incident to the back-burner so that the BJP is not able to form the government this time."