PUNE: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday accused the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra of playing politics over caste and religion.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister was in Pune to campaign for BSP candidates ahead of the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections.

Addressing a rally, she urged people to reject the BJP and Congress and asserted that her party would give justice to every community if voted to power.

“Caste should not be a factor while giving tickets to candidates in elections,” she said, accusing the ruling dispensation of exploiting caste and religion for political gains.

She also claimed that Mahayuti would also play the reservation card for its benefits.

“The ruling party will use ‘saam’ (persuasion), ‘daam’ (reward) and ‘dand’ (punishment) to win the elections in the state. Multiple members from some political parties are deliberately asked to contest the polls to split votes and help the ruling party,” she claimed.