Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati slammed Congress on Monday and rejected its offer of not fielding candidates on seven Lol Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. In a tweet in Hindi, she said that the Congress is free to contest on all 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state and should not spread “Bhranti” (rumours) of leaving seven seats for BSP-SP-RLD alliance.

She made clear that BSP has no alliance with the Congress anywhere in the country. She appealed to people to not believe in rumours.

Congress was sidelined in Uttar Pradesh as Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party forged an alliance for Lok Sabha elections. However, both the parties made it clear that the alliance is aimed at defeating the BJP.

Recently, SP-BSP alliance announced that it will not field a candidate in Amethi in Raebareli, the traditional seats of the Gandhi family. Congress then announced that it will not field candidates in constituencies of Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati and their close relatives and aides. Mayawati’s tweet apparently is in connection to this.

Uttar Pradesh used to be a Congress stronghold but the party lost its influence in the last few decades.

The SP-BSP alliance is a formidable challenge to the NDA in a politically important state like Uttar Pradesh.

Congress got a fresh boost when Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra became All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh. Jyotiraditya Scindia was made in-charge of western UP.