Mayawati opens new chapter in love-hate relation with allies

A doughty survivor of the rough-and-tumble of politics, BSP president Mayawati has manoeuvred her way deftly through the many ups and downs of the game -- making and breaking alliances depending on the political mood of the day.

On Monday, the Bahujan Samaj Party supremo brought the curtains down on her party's alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP), forged to fight the BJP in the Lok Sabha in Uttar Pradesh.

The 'gathbandhan' between the arch rivals did not bring the expected returns and the much discussed bonhomie with the SP, under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav, has predictably ended.

Mayawati declared on Twitter, "... in the interest of the party (BSP) and movement, the party will contest all small and big elections on its own strength (henceforth)."

Though the alliance did not come up to her expectations in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BSP won 10 seats, a big gain from the zero in 2014.

The SP just managed to maintain its tally of five seats though it faced humiliating defeats