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Ghosi bypoll: BSP tells supporters to stay away from polling or opt for NOTA
The announcement by the BSP that its voters will stay away from the Ghosi bypoll has made the electoral contest interesting
A day before Tuesday’s Ghosi assembly bypoll, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has directed her party’s supporters to stay away from the polling, a party leader said.
“The BSP has not fielded a candidate in the bypoll. Party chief Mayawati has called upon the party supporters to stay away from the polling. If party supporters go to the polling booth, they will vote (for) the NOTA option,” BSP state unit president Vishwanath Pal said on Monday.
The announcement by the BSP that its voters will stay away from the Ghosi bypoll has made the contest interesting as both BJP and SP candidates Dara Singh Chauhan and Sudhakar Singh, respectively, were wooing Dalit voters, considered the BSP’s support base. The constituency has around 60,000 Dalits whose support will be decisive.
Pal termed Chauhan’s defection to the BJP after winning the election on the SP ticket a mockery of democracy.
“Anti-defection law was made to check defection. Some political parties have started a new experiment -- engineering the defection of the MLA of another party, making him resign from the assembly after joining and paving the way for the bypoll. It’s promoting corruption in politics. The expenditure on the bypoll will be a burden on the public. The bypoll is not in the interest of the public and the BSP has decided not to field a candidate,” he said.
BSP Mau district unit president Raj Vijay said the party workers have been informed about the decision of the party leadership.
“The BSP is out of the election, we will not exercise our franchise rights,” he said.
The BSP had won the Ghosi assembly seat in the 1993 and the 2007 assembly elections. It was the runner-up in the 1989, 1996, 2012 and 2017 assembly elections.
Reacting to the BSP decision to stay away from the polling, SP leader Rajendra Chaudhary said, “The BSP is not in the contest as it has not fielded a candidate in the bypoll. The BSP is working as B- team of the BJP. It’s trying to create confusion among the voters. The voters, including Dalits, have made up their mind to support the SP. The SP candidate will win the seat with a big margin.”
BJP spokesperson Samir Singh said, “The BJP is getting support of all the communities, including Dalits, in the bypoll. the Dalit community has benefited from schemes launched by the double engine BJP government. Rather than staying away from the polling booth, they will turn up in strength to vote to ensure a big victory for the BJP.”
