The Bharatiya Janata Party's reluctance to confront Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for her alleged bad-mouthing of Hindu gods and goddesses is linked with its electoral strategy, a party leader said on Saturday.

The Samajwadi Party, archrival of Mayawati and her Bahujan Samaj Party, recently released a video compact disc showing her denigrating gods and goddesses for which, it said, she should be punished.

After initially taking grave exception to Mayawati's reported adverse comments against the Hindu deities, BJP leaders have begun soft-pedaling the issue.

UP BJP chief Vinay Katiyar is the latest among party leaders to say that the CD is designed to drive a wedge between the BJP and the BSP.

"Maybe our party leadership does not want to spoil its relations with the BSP. The feeling is that minor irritants should be overlooked to preserve mutual relations. It is better to have friends rather than foes when the political roadmap indicates another coalition government at the Centre," the BJP leader said.

He indicated that the National Democratic Alliance constituents like the Samata Party and the Janata Dal (United) occasionally criticised the BJP on issues like Ayodhya, Hindutva and disinvestment.

Therefore, the party leadership felt sticking together with the BJP (and the NDA) at politically crucial junctures is important.

He said that in this context the BJP's low-key overtures to the BSP, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazgham and Telegu Desam Party assume significance.

Citing coalition political compulsions, he said that anti-Congress feelings of the TDP were well known and the latter would have to rally with the BJP in Andhra Pradesh during the assembly polls.

Similarly, for Mayawati in UP, the BJP seemed a better bet than the Congress and the SP. He pointed out that while such a strategy of the BJP was in the initial stage, party members were aware of it.