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UP bypoll: BSP-ASP fight for Dalit votes on the cards
While Mayawati has directed party cadre to secure better results, ASP is buoyant after victory of Chandra Shekhar Azad from Nagina seat in 2024 LS polls
The assembly bypoll to 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh is set to witness a fight for Dalit votes between the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Azad Samaj Party (ASP) led by Chandra Shekhar Azad.
In the party’s central executive committee held on Tuesday, BSP chief Mayawati directed her party leaders to mobilise the party cadre to secure better results in the upcoming assembly bypoll.
“It is necessary to unite ‘Bahujans’ to keep them aligned with the BSP and its ideology. The party leadership will regularly review the preparations for the bypoll,” she said.
Mayawati also made it clear that despite the 2024 Lok Sabha election debacle, the BSP will go solo in the bypoll but will be open for alliance with smaller political parties in the upcoming assembly elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir and Delhi.
The BSP has already announced candidates for five assembly seats, including Milkipur, Katehri, Meerapur, Manjhawan and Phulpur assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh. Party’s state unit president Vishwanath Pal said, “The party office-bearers and workers have been directed to start preparations by holding meetings in the assembly seats going to bypoll.”
The BSP is upbeat after the success of Bharat Bandh in protest against the Supreme Court’s recent order on the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe reservations. After eight years, the BSP hit the streets across Uttar Pradesh to register protest over the sub classification of the SC and ST.
“After dismal performance in the Lok Sabha election, the party workers have been mobilised. We hope to reap the dividends in the assembly bypoll,” Pal said.
Meanwhile, ASP chief Chandra Shekhar Azad has also announced to contest the bypoll. The ASP has appointed in-charges for four assembly seats- Khair (Aligarh), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Kundarki (Moradabad) and Ghaziabad Sadar ( Ghaziabad).
ASP state unit president Sunil Kumar Chittod said, “The party had held meetings in Phulpur (Prayagraj), Manjhwa (Bhadohi), Katehri (Ambedkar Nagar), Milkipur (Ayodhya), Sisamau (Kanpur) and Karhal (Mainpuri) to moblise the party cadre for assembly bypoll. The meetings on remaining seats will be held soon and the party will also announce in-charges for the remaining seats.”
The ASP is buoyant after victory of Chandra Shekhar Azad from Nagina Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 general election. The BSP that won the seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha election was pushed to third place this time.
Large chunk of the Dalit vote shifted to the ASP. The ASP is planning to spread its base in Uttar Pradesh. Like the BSP, the ASP has also decided to go solo in the bypoll.
Meanwhile, the BSP has announced to contest the assembly election in Haryana in alliance with Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) led by Abhay Singh Chautala.
On the other hand, the ASP will contest Haryana assembly election in alliance with Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) led by Dushyant Chautala. Both the alliances are working on Jat-Dalit formula to secure victory in the assembly election.
