Delhi Assembly polls: Mayawati's BSP set to contest on all 70 seats

Despite its dismal performance in states like Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, sources in the BSP leaders here on Wednesday said the party is preparing to contest on all the 70 seats in Delhi with its focus on 12 reserved seats. Delhi has been important for the BSP especially due to high number of Dalit voters along with migrant voters present in the National Capital.

The BSP had bagged two seats in the 2008 Delhi assembly elections and had drawn a blank in 2015 despite contesting on all 70 seats.

'A high-level meeting chaired by BSP chief was held recently in which directions were given to the party leaders from western Uttar Pradesh to start preparations for the Delhi Assembly polls. It was mainly the AAP which had influenced the BSP voters. However, another challenge before us will be to deal with the Bhim Army influence mostly in the western part of UP which shares its boundary with Delhi,' a senior party leader said.

BSP chief and former UP chief minister Mayawati had recently cautioned her voters against the Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and had termed him as agent of rival parties working to split the BSP votes in Delhi. Mayawati’s attack on Azad came after he announced to contest the Assembly polls in Delhi.

Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, on the other hand, has distanced itself from the Delhi assembly polls as its leaders are of the view that it might split the anti-BJP votes. The move is also seen as an attempt to extend support to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party. However, a formal announcement from the party chief is awaited.