Lucknow, Mar 7 (IANS): Declaring that she had worked hard for the state, Mayawati stepped down as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Wednesday after her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was routed in the assembly elections to make way for the Samajwadi Party (SP).

A day after the SP won an emphatic mandate of 224 seats in the 403-member house, Mayawati drove down in a convoy to Raj Bhavan where she submitted her resignation to Governor B.L. Joshi. The BSP managed just 80 seats, far lower than the 206 seats it got in the last assembly elections in 2007.

In a one-page letter, Mayawati informed the governor that she and her cabinet were submitting their resignations following a new mandate in the state.

Mayawati also thanked the governor for the cooperation she received from the Raj Bhavan in the smooth running of the government during her tenure.

Addressing reporters after she drove back to her Mall Avenue residence, Mayawati accused the Congress-led led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of "harbouring negative stand" against her government in the state.