The BJP chief said it did not want to give up its alliance with old time ally Shiv Sena in Maharashtra but insisted that the BJP would have no option if the Sena wanted to part ways with it.

This will be Kumarawamy's second term as the chief minister of Karnataka since 2007, when he last held the post for 20 months.

A board was put of the gate of Mayawati's government bungalow saying that it was a Kashiram Vishramalaya Sthal , news agency UNI reported.

The presser came after Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, earlier today, claimed that Dalits were facing atrocities in states governed by Bharatiya Janata Party after a 'successful' Bharat bandh.

Mayawati's sharp remarks came even as the BJP MPs from Dalit community expressed their displeasure towards the 'treatment of the Scheduled Caste community at the hands of their government'.

Akhilesh said that he was ready to be practical to sustain the alliance. "This alliance is important. If I have to take two steps back, I am willing to do it," Yadav said.

Mayawati said she supported the protests against the changes in the SC/ST law but condemned the violence that took place blaming anti-social elements for it.

The development comes after BSP supremo Mayawati extended support to the nationwide protests against the SC/ST Act, and denied her party’s involvement in the violence.

“This step is just for raking fake and cheap kind of popularity, while on the contrary Baba Saheb's followers are being inflicted with atrocities,” Mayawati said.

Banerjee thanked BSP president for charging the Centre with adopting double standard in dealing with NDA-ruled Bihar and TMC-governed West Bengal.

The BSP supremo added that BJP was taking the nation towards dark ages and all other parties must come together to stop it from winning the next general elections.

Akhilesh Yadav also said his wife Dimple Yadav may not contest the next Lok Sabha elections to blunt the nepotism charge that political opponents hurl at Samajwadi Party (SP), which he leads.

Her statement came in the wake of BJP president Amit Shah's letter to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and the latter hitting back at him.

"BJP resorted to horse-trading activities to ensure BSP candidate loses in Rajya Sabha polls. It misused the state machinery," Mayawati said at a press conference here.

Addressing the media in Lucknow on Thursday, SP national president Akhilesh Yadav said that sometimes "past incidents have to be forgotten".

Singh was referring to the black chapter of UP and Mayawati's history when in 1995 the BSP chief was forced to stay in the VVIP guest house by Samajwadi Party goons after she pulled out of the ruling alliance with their party.

Akhilesh Yadav, who had attributed SP's victory in Gorakhpur and Phulpur to support from BSP and some local parties, spent some at the BSP supremo's residence.

Gorakhpur was earlier held by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath while Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had held the Phulpur seat.

In a statement issued by her Bahujan Samaj Party, the former Chief Minister also demanded that the central and state governments ensure no harm comes to statues of eminent persons at various public places, including parks.

"I want to clarify that BSP has not allied with any political party. All rumors about BSP & SP alliance in UP for 2019 Lok Sabha elctions are false and baseless," Mayawati said.