New Delhi, Mar 20 (IT): Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Wednesday (March 20) announced that she will not contest 2019 Lok Sabha election. Mayawati announced her decision in an impromptu press conference in Lucknow. "Keeping in mind the current political situation I have decided not to contest the Lok Sabha elections," Mayawati said.

BSP chief Mayawati said her party is in a strong alliance with the RLD (Rashtriya Lok Dal) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) and it is more important for the gathbandhan to win more seats than for her to win one. Mayawati, however, said she will contest later if needed.

"If I will contest then my party workers, despite me telling them not to do so, will spend all their energy in campaigning for me in the particular Lok Sabha constituency I choose to contest from. This will certainly not be in the interest of the party," Mayawati said.

"It is more important for the (SP-BSP-RLD) alliance to win each and every seat it contests on rather than me winning the elections. If the opportunity arises after the election then I can easily make my way to Lok Sabha by asking someone to vacate his seat," BSP chief Mayawati said.

Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held from April 11 and will go on till May 19 in seven phases. The polls in Uttar Pradesh will be held in all seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.

Earlier this year, the two rival parties of Uttar Pradesh -- Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party and Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party -- announced an alliance the Lok Sabha elections 2019. The two parties have decided 50-50 seat-sharing deal in Uttar Pradesh. Out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, SP and BSP will contest on 38 seats each and have left two seats for the RLD. The parties, however, will not contest in Amethi and Raebareli represented by Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi respectively.