Mayawati trying to save her image: BJP

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday criticised Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's decisions to eliminate ministers at regular intervals and said that she was doing it to regenerate the 'image' of the state government.

"Mayawati´s move to sack ministers is nothing more than an act of desperation. She knows that her party (BSP) will be defeated in the assembly elections," BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak told media.

The BJP said that it was useless to remove ministers when the dates of the upcoming state assembly polls have already been announced by the Election Commission (EC).

"Why is Mayawati removing her ministers now that the election dates have been finalized? She did not realize her ministers are corrupt and negligent in the five years of her rule? She is now trying to save the image of her government," Pathak said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday sacked four more ministers ahead of next February´s seven-phased assembly polls.

All the four ministers were sacked for their alleged links to corruption charges.

Fateh Bahadur Singh, Sadal Prasad, Anis Ahmed Khan and Shazil Islam were axed by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief.

Mayawati has already sacked 19 ministers in recent times after which four more were removed by her on Friday.

She had removed them for alleged corruption charges against them.

Several ministers in Mayawati´s cabinet are facing Lokayukta investigations on corruption charges.

The EC on Saturday announced the schedule for Assembly Elections in five states, including the politically charged Uttar Pradesh (UP) where polls will be held in seven stages beginning Feb 4.

The rest of the phases will be held on Feb 8, Feb 11, Feb 15, Feb 19, Feb 23, Feb 28.