Mayawati announces BSP's support for NDA Vice President candidate Dhankhar

She said her party had decided to support the NDA candidate in wider national interest and the Bahujan movement

BSP supremo Mayawati once again dealt a blow to the Opposition by declaring her party's support for Jagdeep Dhankhar, the NDA for the post of vice-president, in what she termed ''larger public interest'' and keeping in mind the principles of the party.

Mayawati had earlier supported NDA presidential nominee Droupadi Murmu saying that her party had decided to support Murmu as she hailed from tribal community.

''Keeping in mind the larger public interest and the privciples of the BSP, we have decided to support Jagdeep Dhankhar in the forthcoming vice-presidential election,'' Mayawati said in a Tweet on Wednesday.

Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Brijesh Pathak welcomed Mayawati's decision and said that she had taken the right decision. ''We are thankful to Mayawati for her party's support to Dhankar,'' Pathak said.

The Opposition parties, which had fielded Maragaret Alva as their candidate for the post of vice-president, however, slammed Mayawati's decision and said that it proved that there was a tacit understanding between BSP and BJP.

''Mayawati's decision to support Dhankhar has proved that she has a tacit understanding with the BJP.....we have been saying that for a long time,'' remarked a senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader here while speaking to DH.

The BSP leaders however said that the decision to support Dhankhar should not be viewed as support to the BJP. ''It is not a support for the BJP...it is our independent decision.,'' said a BSP leader here. BSP had ten members in the Lok Sabha.