Lucknow, Dec 08: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BJP) today announced that it will support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJD) in over 150 seats in the crucial Gujarat Assembly elections next week. BSP vice-president and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati said the BSP will contest in 31 constituencies in the December 12 assembly polls and support the BJP candidates in 151 seats.

This decision was taken after Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani requested her to support the BJP nominees where they were not contesting and after consulting with party president Kanshi Ram, she said and added `` it is our moral duty to support the BJP where BSP is not contesting following the BJP`s all out support to my government in UP ``.

She, however, maintained that the BSP candidates will have said `direct` contest in 31 seats with the BJP and other candidates and said there would be no misunderstanding in these constituencies.

Mayawati would address two meetings tomorrow at Surat and Ahmedabad along with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee where she will formally announce the BSP`s support to the BJP.

To a query, Mayawati said she did not believe that Modi has anything to do with the riots in Gujarat.

`` Congress is just making wild allegations to gain political mileage as no CM can do such thing which might defame his own government``.
She said the minority vote bank will not be affected due to her support to the BJP in Gujarat as the Muslims believe that only the BSP can protect them.

The BSP would give surprise results in the 31 seats where it was contesting, she added. Bureau Report