Dalits should not waste their votes on BJP, Cong: BSP chief Mayawati

New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday called upon the people of Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) to vote for the BSP, highlighting the purported neglect and disdain shown by both the Congress and the BJP towards Dalits.  

She urged voters to be mindful of this historical neglect when casting their votes in the forthcoming elections.

In a post on X, Mayawati stated, "The continuous neglect and contempt of Dalits by the Congress during the Assembly elections in Haryana shows that things are not right within the party. If things are not right now, what can be expected in the future? Dalits should not waste their vote on the Congress or the BJP."

She further accused the Congress of consistently opposing reservation, asserting, "Dalits should vote unanimously for the BSP because it is the only party that continuously fights to protect their interests, ensure their welfare, and secure their constitutional rights."

The BSP supremo also directed her appeal to the Dalit community in J&K, warning them against being swayed by false promises by the Congress, BJP, or any other alliances.

"Given their anti-Dalit history, Dalit voters should cast their valuable votes solely for the BSP," she added.

The BSP is contesting the Haryana Assembly elections on October 5 in alliance with the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), fielding candidates in 37 of the 90 seats. Currently, the Haryana Assembly has no BSP legislators, while INLD’s Abhay Chautala is the party's sole MLA.

Chautala, who previously served as the Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Legislative Assembly from 2014 to 2019, remains INLD's only representative in the current Assembly.

The alliance between BSP and INLD was announced in July following a meeting between Mayawati and Chautala in Lucknow.

The two parties also contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections together but saw limited success. INLD secured 1.74 per cent of the vote share, while BSP garnered 1.28 per cent. INLD had fielded seven candidates, while BSP contested nine seats across the 10 parliamentary constituencies.