BJP leaders meet Mayawati to stall Cong-BSP tie-up

In an apparent move to stall a tie-up between the Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress for the Lok Sabha polls, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders on Thursday called on BSP leader Mayawati on the occasion of her birthday.

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Prakash Javadekar spent half-an-hour with Mayawati at her Delhi residence shortly after Congress president Sonia Gandhi had met the BSP chief to convey birthday wishes.

The meeting assumes significance in the backdrop of warming up of relations between the Congress and BSP following the sharp downswing in the latter's ties with the BJP ever since their alliance in Uttar Pradesh collapsed leading to her resignation as chief minister.

The BJP is aware of the BSP's influence among dalits in Uttar Pradesh, which holds the key to capturing power at the Centre.

While the BJP is not hopeful of a fresh tie-up with the BSP given the current state of their relations, it might be badly affected by an alliance between the Congress and BSP.