New Delhi, Aug 26: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today handed in her resignation to Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri. The move comes a day after the ruling BJP-BSP coalition broke up triggering yet another political crisis in the state.
Mayawati claimed that staying in power would be a compromise and urged the Governor to recommend President’s rule for the state and dissolve the Assembly.

"If I wanted I could have stayed in power. But I do not want people to point fingers. So I have given my resignation. I have also requested the governor not to appoint me as the interim Chief Minister," she said.

The BSP has also withdrawn support to the NDA government at the Centre. Earlier today Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav met UP Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri and asked him to dismiss the Mayawati government as it had lost majority.

Yadav handed over a letter to the Governor stating the Samajwadi Party was the single largest party in the assembly and that it should be given a chance to form government in the state.

He has now been formally asked by the Governor to hand in the list of the MLAs who would support his claim to form the government. The Samajwadi Party is the single largest party with 142 seats in the 401-seat assembly, 58 short of the half-way mark.

If he gets the support of 16 Congress MLAs, 13 from Ajit Singh's RLD, four from Kalyan Singh's party and two from the CPM, Mulayam still remains 23 short of the magic number.

As a result, besides wooing the 15 independents, Mulayam will have to look at splitting either the BJP or the BSP. Bureau Report