LUCKNOW, July 7 -- Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Monday said her party will contest the Bihar assembly elections on its own strength. "The Election Commission should take strict measures to ensure that the Bihar elections are free from the misuse of government machinery, muscle power, money power and criminal influence," she said in a post on X while expressing concerns over the recent cases of violence in the neighbouring state.

"Generally, cases of oppression, violence, murder and caste-based exploitation against Dalits, extremely backward classes, the exploited, the poor, and their women in Bihar have always been a significant topic of discussion," Mayawati said.

"However, the recent sensational murder of a prominent in...