Mayawati calls for 'mahagathbandhan' in UP

Apparently buoyed by the success of her "experiment" (supporting the Samajwadi Party in the Phulpur and Gorakhpur by-polls), BSP supremo Mayawati on Monday hinted that she was "ready" for a 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) with the other Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh to counter the BJP.

According to BSP sources, Mayawati told the party zonal coordinators and senior leaders to work towards taking the alliance to the ground level.

"We were told to prepare the booth-level workers to work with other Opposition parties at the ground level so that the alliance succeeds," said a senior BSP leader here.

The leader said Mayawati may soon meet senior Opposition leaders in Delhi to formally discuss the grand alliance.

He said that party will soon identify the Lok Sabha seats where it would like to field its candidates for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

He indicated that the BSP may contest in around 30-35 seats in the state in the next General Elections.

The BSP supremo addressed a meeting of the zonal coordinators of the party and other senior leaders here on Monday, in which she attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She accused Modi of using the name of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar to garner support from the community.

"It is nothing but an attempt to misguide the Dalit community and gather its support in the elections," Mayawati said.

The BSP supremo said Dalits had been "targeted" and "persecuted" in different parts of the country during the four years of the NDA rule.