Eye on UP Polls, Mayawati's BSP to Support Sibal in RS Elections

With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections around the corner, it seems Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress are gearing up for an alliance.

In an exclusive interview to CNN-News18, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari has said that Mayawati's BSP is likely to support Congress leader Kapil Sibal's candidature for the Rajya Sabha. He said the Congress has supported Sibal after assurance of support from other secular parties in Uttar Pradesh.

"We are the largest party right now. Sibal is a senior leader and top most lawyer in the country. So we will not give him a ticket till we are sure of the victory. We welcome all who give support. The final outcome will be known on June 11," Tiwari said.

The BSP supported the Congress Rajya Sabha candidate Vivek Tankha in Madhya Pradesh. It also came at Congress's rescue during the floor test in Uttarakhand.

In Uttar Pradesh, contest was forced by the presence of 12 candidates for the 11 Rajya Sabha seats as the two extra aspirants remained in fray at the end of withdrawal on June 3.

The contest became interesting after Independent candidate Preeti Mahapatra, a social worker, filed her papers at the last moment as the 12th candidate for the 11 seats going to polls next week, thereby forcing voting.

Several BJP MLAs and members of smaller parties besides some Independents have signed Preeti's nominations, raising the possibility of cross-voting.

Congress has accused Preeti of being a BJP candidate who could encourage horse-trading that might queer the pitch of Sibal who needs five extra votes for victory. Congress has 29 MLAs and each candidate needs 34 votes for Rajya Sabha win. This is where the role of BSP's surplus votes will matter.