Lucknow/New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS): BSP supremo Mayawati on Wednesday said that people voted for the Congress much against their wishes because they saw it as the prime challenger to the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

Mayawati told the media that this was unfortunate as the poor, Dalits, marginalized and religious minorities had suffered during the past governments of the Congress.

"So, 'apne dil par patthar rakhkar', much against their wishes, they voted for the Congress after seeing it as the main contender for power."

Charging the Congress with ignoring the path shown by Dalit icon B.R. Aambedkar, Mayawati said it was because of this that people from the Dalit community had to float parties of their own and even the BJP flourished due to the wrong policies of the Congress.

She admitted that despite the best efforts and hard work of its cadres, the elections in the three states were not that positive to the Bahujan Samaj Party.

But she said the voters in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh had given "a befitting reply to the anti-people policies" pursued by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments, she said in a statement.

To prevent the BJP from sticking to power, she said her party was extending the support to the Congress in government formation in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.