Mayawati Re-Elected as BSP National President as Party Announces Candidates for Upcoming Bypolls

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati was unanimously re-elected as the party chief in its National Executive Meeting in Lucknow on Wednesday. The party also finalised names of the candidates for upcoming bypolls on 12 assembly seats.

As per sources, Qayyum Ansari was finalised as the candidate from Ghosi seat, Rajnarayan Nirala from Manikpur, Naushad Ali from Hameerpur, Akhilesh Ambedkar from Zaidpur, Ramesh Gautam from Balha, Sunil Kumar Chittor from Tundla, Arun Dwivedi from Lucknow Cantt, Devi Prasad Tiwari from Kanpur and Ranjeet Singh Patel was finalised as the BSP candidate from Pratapgarh Sadar assembly seat. However, candidate from Jalalpur assembly seat was yet to be finalised.

BSP will be contesting bypolls after a long time as the party had earlier refrained from contesting the assembly bypolls. By announcing its candidates early, the BSP will look to get ahead in the race as its candidates will have more time to work on the ground.

In the National Executive Meet, Mayawati mentioned that party ideologue, Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, was never in favour of Article 370 and hence, the party extended its support to the government on the issue.

“Article 370 has been abrogated nearly 69 years after the Constitution came into force, it will certainly take a little time before the conditions in Kashmir become normal. Therefore, it would be better if we wait a little for this,” she said.

The four time former Chief Minister also attacked Congress leaders for attempting to visit Kashmir. She termed Jawaharlal Nehru as the main reason behind the Kashmir issue.

Further Attacking the Congress, she said, “Negative attitude by the Congress Party has been present not only towards the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, but also towards the poor, Dalits, Adivasis and other backwards castes. They are against religious minorities like Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists as well because of which their social and economic conditions have remained poor even so many decades after independence”.