E-Paper
Second phase of civic polls: BSP hoping to retain two mayoral seats it won in 2017
BSP mobilises cadre for second phase of local bodies poll in 38 districts on May 11. BSP relying on Dalit-Muslim-Backward formula to secure victory.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has mobilised its cadre for the second phase of the urban local bodies poll to be held in 38 districts on May 11.
The prestige of the party is at stake for the mayoral seats in Meerut and Aligarh that it won in the 2017 civic poll. Along with retaining both the seats, the BSP is working to win Bareilly, Kanpur and Ghaziabad mayoral seats.
The party is relying on Dalit- Muslim – Backward formula to secure victory in the civic poll. Out of the seven mayoral seats going to poll in the second phase on May 11, the BSP has fielded five Muslim candidates.
BSP has fielded Archana Nishad for mayoral post from Kanpur Municipal Corporation seat. It has fielded Hasmat Ali from Meerut municipal corporation seat, Shagufta Anzum from Shahjahanpur municipal corporation seat, Ram Murti Yadav from Ayodhya municipal corporation seat, Nishara Khan from Ghaziabad municipal corporation seat, Salman Shahid from Aligarh municipal corporation seat and Yusuf Khan for mayoral post from Bareilly municipal corporation seat.
Polling will be held for total 7,006 posts in the second phase including seven mayoral seats, 95 Nagar Palika Parishad chairmen, 268 Nagar Panchayat chairmen, 590 corporators, 2,551 Nagar Palika Parishad members and 3,495 Nagar Panchayat members.
Despite the saffron wave in the 2017 urban local bodies poll after the BJP grabbed power in the state assembly, the BSP surprised the political observers by bagging two prestigious mayoral seats- Meerut and Aligarh. It also secured victory on 15 Nagar Palika Parishad and 30 Nagar Panchayat chairman seats.
BSP state unit president Viswanath Pal said, the workers, the sector in-charges, district presidents, city presidents and party office bearers are leading the campaign on various local bodies seats in the 38 districts. The party is hopeful of retaining Meerut and Aligarh seats, we are getting good response from the voters in Ghaziabad, Bareilly and Kanpur, he said.
The party workers are campaigning in the urban localities highlighting the poor infrastructure facilities in the cities and towns, failure to organise sanitation drive, poor health and education facilities, and corruption in the urban local bodies under the present BJP government. The party workers are highlighting the works done in the urban areas under the four BSP governments led by the party chief Mayawati in 1995, 1997, 2002-03 and 2007-12, he said.
