Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Mulayam Singh Yadav on August 26 met Uttar Pradesh Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri and staked claim to form government.

Yadav handed over a letter to the Governor that said since Samajwadi Party was the single largest party in the Assembly, it should be given a chance to form government in the state, Raj Bhavan sources said.

The letter said the Mayawati government had been reduced to minority following withdrawal of support by 87-member Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the sources said.

Yadav said there was a possibility of forming an alternative government and the SP, being the single largest party in the Assembly, should be given a chance to form it.

Uttar Pradesh was plunged into political crisis on August 25 with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)-BJP coalition collapsing after Chief Minister Mayawati recommended dissolution of the state Assembly and holding of fresh elections.

Demanding dismissal of the Mayawati government, Yadav told the Governor not to accept the Chief Minister's recommendation for dissolution of the Assembly and holding of fresh polls.

The letter cited past instances where the Governor had invited the single largest party to form government.

Later, the SP president told reporters that it would be undemocratic to allow the minority Mayawati government to continue in office even for a day.

Demanding immediate dismissal of the government, he said it would be "ridiculous" to ask Mayawati to prove her majority on the floor of the House as it was quite clear that her government had been reduced to minority.

Referring to Mayawati's statement on August 25 that she would "forgive" him if he "apologised" for "assaulting" her on June 2, 1995 at the state guest house, Yadav said his party did not "misbehave" with Mayawati and, hence, there was no question of tendering an apology.

Claiming there was total unity in Opposition ranks, he said they had numbers to form an alternative government.

PTI