Bengaluru: Lone BSP member of the Karnataka Cabinet, N Mahesh, gave a big surprise by announcing that his party would contest in all 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state on its own. This comes a day after BSP chief Mayawati attacked the Congress. He also ruled out electoral alliance with any party, including the Janata Dal (S) who had a pre-poll tie with them in the Assembly elections in May.
Previously, Mahesh was the only candidate from BSP to win the assembly election. He had contested from Kollegala in Chamarajanagara district in south Karnataka. He was made a minister in the JDS-Congress coalition because of Mayawati’s insistence.
He also triggered a controvrsey by calling the villagers in his constituency to weed out Congress, but when later asked , he clarified that he was referring to Parthenium which is also known as Congress Weed in the rural areas.
Congress is yet to react to his statements but JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda stated that all was well in the coalition and that the alliance was intact.
Mayawati has previously shown a great camraderie with Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi but this relation seems to have soured as she decided not to tie-up with the Congress for the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh.
