Bahujan Samaj party president Mayawati has blamed her party’s all-time low tally of one seat in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls on the transfer of “trusted” Muslim votes to the Samajwadi Party and “casteist” forces. She said a three-way battle could have changed the poll outcome.

Making her first appearance in Lucknow on Friday after the annihilation of what was once known as the biggest pro-Dalit political party, which also made its imprint nationally if not winning good numbers but by splitting votes, Mayawati tried to boost the sagging morale of the party workers. “Don’t get demoralised. We must try to return to power again,” she said at a media conference.