The Bahujan Samaj Party on Sunday announced the fourth list of 101 candidates for the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh. The party had released around 300 names in the previous three lists. With this announcement, the party has released names of 401 candidates for the 403-seat Uttar Pradesh Assembly.
At a press conference on Sunday, BSP chief Mayawati said people should not waste their votes on the Samajwadi Party as this would only benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party. “The BJP, Akhilesh Yadav and his mentor Ram Gopal Yadav are secretly forming an alliance with the Congress,” she claimed.
BSP has given 87 tickets to Dalits, 97 to Muslims and 106 to OBC candidates, PTI reported. The Muslim community comprises almost 20% of the state’s population. On Friday, the party had announced the third list of candiates that also included Muzaffarnagar riots-accused Noor Saleem Rana. The two remaining candidates will be announced after a decision is made on whether the seats are reserved for ST or are general, PTI reported. Former chief minister of the state, Mayawati had earlier urged Muslim voters to support her party “to stop the Saffron [Bharatiya Janata Party]” from gaining control in the state.
Mayawati has asked her party workers to campaign against the BJP by exploring the post-demonetisation sentiment, reported India Today. She has also asked them to expose the ruling Samajwadi Party’s weakness. The Samajwadi Party has been split because of an ongoing rift between Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. The two men are now awaiting an Election Commission verdict on which of their factions will be allowed to contest the polls using the Samajwadi Party’s cycle symbol.
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