PRAYAGRAJ, June 20 -- Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Saturday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not need leaders from the Samajwadi Party (SP) to contest elections, asserting that the party has enough capable workers to fight on its own strength.

Speaking to reporters during his two-day visit to Prayagraj, Maurya dismissed claims by Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief and cabinet minister Om Prakash Rajbhar that several SP MLAs and MPs were in touch with him. "There is no substance in such claims. The BJP does not need SP leaders to fight elections," Maurya said.

Reacting to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's remarks about BJP legislators switching sides, Maurya said Yadav should "wait for the right time."

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