The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is relying on cadre mobilization, street-corner meetings, door- to-door campaign and publicising the message of party chief Mayawati in the urban local bodies’ election campaign.
On the other hand, its rival parties, including the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP), are organising big rallies and road shows to woo the voters.
While top BSP leaders, including party chief Mayawati, national coordinator Akash Anand and national general secretary SC Mishra, are maintaining a distance from the civic election campaign, the party’s state unit president Vishwanath Pal, sector in-charges, district presidents, city presidents and party office bearers are seeking votes across the state.
The party has appointed senior leaders as in-charges for all the mayoral seats as well as for the posts of chairpersons of the nagar palika parishads and nagar panchayats.
At the micro level, in-charges have been appointed to manage the election campaign in wards.
Rather than holding big public meetings, the party is organising meetings in each ward to connect with the voters, he said.
{{/usCountry}}Rather than holding big public meetings, the party is organising meetings in each ward to connect with the voters, he said.
{{/usCountry}}Along with youngsters, veteran party leaders have been roped in for the election campaign.
“We are highlighting party chief Mayawati’s message and publicising the ideals of party founder Kanshi Ram,” he said.
Senior BSP leader and MLC Bhimrao Ambedkar said the party has mobilised district, Vidhan Sabha, sector and booth committees for the campaign.
“In the 2017 civic polls, the BSP bagged two mayoral posts and a number of nagar palika parishad and nagar panchayat seats. We are working to repeat the feat in this election, too,” he said.
“Though BSP has fielded 11 Muslim candidates for 17 mayoral seats, we have not neglected other communities in the distribution of tickets. Candidates from Dalit, OBC and upper caste communities have been given tickets for mayoral posts, chairpersons of nagar palika parishads/ nagar panchayats and ward seats. The party is contesting the election on the ‘sarvajan hitay- sarvajan sukhay’ formula,” he said.
To counter the BJP, party leaders have been directed to highlight “good law and order that prevailed under the BSP government”. The BSP was last in power in Uttar Pradesh from 2007 to 2012.
A BSP leader said Mayawati was monitoring the election campaign in all the districts. The party leaders send reports of the campaign daily to the party state unit office in Lucknow.
She removed Munkad Ali as in-charge of Kanpur division owing to poor performance and appointed Shamsuddin Raini in his place, he said.
In a tweet on Thursday, BSP chief called upon the voters to vote for change in civic polls.