Maya blames Cong, BJP for SP victory

In her first public appearance after her party's debacle in the Assembly polls, BSP supremo Mayawati on Wednesday said Muslim votes almost got polarised in favour of the SP because of the wrong stands taken by both the Congress and the BJP over the issue of sub-quota for Muslims within the OBC quota.

As per her assessment, about 70 per cent of Muslim votes went to the SP due to the minority reservation issue.

Earlier in the day, Mayawati submitted her resignation to Governor B L Joshi. "The poll results are not in favour of my party. Thus I submitted my resignation to the Governor, besides recommending the dissolution of the assembly," Mayawati told reporters.

Explaining the reasons for her party's defeat, she said: "I hold both the Congress and the BJP responsible for the wrong stands taken by them in this election. Soon after declaration of Assembly polls in the state, the Congress talked about sub-quota for minority within the OBC quota for its political interest and the BJP started protesting against it."

She said the BJP had made attempts to woo the OBC and upper caste voters using this issue for its own political gains. This led to a fear among Muslim voters about the possible return of BJP to power, she added. She further said that Muslims found the Congress weak and the BJP created the impression that it might bag upper caste and OBC votes.

"Apart from the Congress, they did not vote for us also and almost 70 per cent of them sided with the SP candidates," she said.

She also said the SP's Muslims candidates bagged parts of upper caste and OBC votes and got elected from the Muslim-dominated constituencies.

Another reason Mayawati cited for BSP's defeat was division of upper caste votes which, according to her, benefited the SP candidates. She said upper caste votes got divided — among the BSP, the BJP and the Congress. "My party has suffered a great loss," she said.

... contd.

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