'Mayawati will not contest UP polls'

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati will not contest the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, party general secretary S C Misra said here on Tuesday.

Misra said he will also not contest the state elections, which will be held in seven phases starting February 10.

Since elections are being held in five states, including Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh, the BSP president will not contest the polls and help party candidates win, he said.

Later, he said, "The decision of the party for now is that Mayawati ji and I will not fight Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. However, future decisions will be taken by Mayawati ji herself."

Mayawati is neither a legislator nor an MP. Misra is a Rajya Sabha member.

The BSP has decided to contest all 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh alone. It has entered into an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab.