LUCKNOW, Jan. 9 -- While Congress prepares to contest the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Panchayat polls independently, state unit incharge Avinash Pandey said on Friday that the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is welcome to join the INDIA bloc for future elections.

"INDIA block has an understanding. The real motto is to uproot the BJP, and in this endeavour BSP will also be welcome," said Pandey, who chaired the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting attended by the party's present and former MPs, MLAs, and senior leaders.

"We are focusing on all 403 Assembly seats, and our Sangathan Srijan programme is aligned with this goal. We aim to build a strong front against the BJP in the state and strengthen our own party so that, even withi...