If not BSP, vote for Congress, Kanshi Ram tells supporters

JAIPUR, OCT 30: Congress should form its government in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Kanshi Ra...

JAIPUR, OCT 30: Congress should form its government in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Kanshi Ram said here on Friday. He also asked his supporters to vote either for the Congress or non-BJP candidates where BSP nominees were not in the fray.

Talking to the media at the Press Club in the city, he said the move was motivated with the sole intention of defeating the BJP as their defeat in all the three states would lead to the fall of the Vajpayee government.

Kanshi Ram said the BSP has planned to field its candidates for 160 seats of the 320 available in Madhya Pradesh and for about 100 of the 200 seats in Rajasthan. He did not specify the number of seats he intended contesting in Delhi. He clarified that he had no sympathy for the Congress and had been motivated by the BSP interests.

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The BJP has grown in power in states where the BSP had consolidated its position due to the shift of scheduled votes from the Congress to the BSP. This has benefitted the BJP.Therefore, he has resolved to keep the Congress alive in the State till he is able to wean his potential supporters away from the Congress. Once this happens, he could easily push the Congress into the background and replace it, as in Uttar Pradesh. According to Kashi Ram, the Congress could never revive itself in Uttar Pradesh.

When asked about talks between the BSP and the BJP for a tie-up in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi, Kanshi Ram said he had been approached by Manmohan Singh and Arjun Singh on behalf of Sonia Gandhi.

He had drawn their attention to conflicting views of various Congress leaders on the issue and told them that he did not want a poll pact though he had made up his mind to avoid putting up superfluous candidates in the constituencies where BSP nominees had polled less than 10,000 in the last elections.

Regarding Rajasthan, Kanshi Ram said, the BSP had identified 40 seats bordering Uttar Pradesh and 32 seats bordering Haryana and Punjab, where it was in a good position. Heintended fielding some Hindus as well. He was hopeful of winning at least 30 seats.