India, June 19 -- LUCKNOW Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Friday defended her party's acceptance of donations from ticket aspirants, dismissing the recent 'cash for ticket' allegations as a smear campaign by rival political parties ahead of UP Assembly elections.

Clarifying her party's stand on an alleged sting operation in which BSP office-bearers demanded money for tickets as well as for the meeting with the party chief, Mayawati said in a post on X that unlike other parties, BSP does not rely on the support or diktats of big capitalists and wealthy individuals; instead, the party operates on the support and money of its own people.

Whatever financial support the BSP receives is legally spent on ensuring the victory of the...