Hours after announcing that she would not contest the April-May general election, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Wednesday tweeted that “a person can become a Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha member within six months of holding the office of prime minister or a minister”.

“When I became UP CM first time in 1995 I was not member of either UP Assembly or Council. Similarly is provision at the Centre where a person have to be a LS/RS member within 6 months of holding office of minister/PM. Don’t disheartened from my decision not to contest LS poll now (sic),” Mayawati said.

When I became UP CM first time in 1995 I was not member of either UP Assembly or Council. Similarly is provision at the Centre where a person have to be a LS/RS member within 6 months of holding office of minister/PM. Don’t disheartened from my decision not to contest LS poll now

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— Mayawati (@Mayawati) 20 March 2019

To get elected to the Lok Sabha, she would have to just file her nomination papers and her party supporters would ensure her victory, she said.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Wednesday said she will not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2019 effectively backing out of the race for the Prime Minister’s post.

The 63-year-old former four-time Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh said that she took the decision in the light of the “current political situation” and to ensure victory of each and every seats of the BSP-SP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh.

At a press conference in Lucknow, Mayawati said, “I know I can win from any seat. All that I have to do is to file my nomination and my party workers will take care of the rest.”

“We have a strong alliance with RLD and SP to defeat BJP. (But) It is more important for us to win more seats than for me to win one,” she added.

The BSP supremo said, “I had earlier resigned from Rajya Sabha to keep our movement alive, but keeping in mind the current political situation I have decided not to contest the Lok Sabha elections.”

Mayawati had in January this year formed an alliance with Akhilesh Yadav-led SP.

The two parties, who had a history of bitter rivalry in Uttar Pradesh, have shed their differences to take on the BJP in the upcoming General Elections.

Mawayati’s decision comes a day after she slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for prefixing ‘Chowkidar’ (watchman) to his Twitter handle, which was followed by all BJP leaders.

The SP will fight on 37 seats in Uttar Pradesh and the BSP on 38 seats. Three seats were given to Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), the third party in alliance, and two seats – Amethi and Rae Bareli – were left for the Congress, which is not part of the alliance.

On March 17, the Congress announced that it was leaving seven Lok Sabha seats for SP, BSP, and RLD.