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BSP announces first list of candidates, banks on Gujjar-Jat-Muslim support
Lok Sabha Elections 2019: The BSP also declared Haji Fazulrahman its nominee from Saharanpur, Malook Nagar from Bijnore and Girish Chandra from Nagina, a party release said here.
The Bahujan Samaj Party on Friday released its first list of candidates for 11 Lok Sabha seats in west UP. Caste equations were given a preference with Mayawati banking on the Gujjar-Jat-Muslim support to emerge victorious.
For the first phase Lok Sabha elections, the BSP has submitted a list of its star campaigners to the Election Commission. Aakash Anand, the nephew of Mayawati, figures at the third position on the list of star campaigners after Mayawati and party general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra. BSP state unit president RS Kushwaha figures at the fourth spot.
Mayawati will launch her party’s election campaign in west UP on April 7 by addressing a joint rally with alliance partners, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh, at Deoband in Saharanpur.
BSP has decided to field Haji Fazlur Rehman from Saharanpur. A graduate from the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Rehman owns meat and food processing units. Congress has also fielded a Muslim candidate, Imran Masood, in Saharanpur.
Malook Nagar, a Gujjar leader, will contest from Bijnor seat. There were speculations that Mayawati will contest from this seat which she had represented in 1989.
Former national general secretary of Janta Dal (Secular) Kunwar Danish Ali, who had joined BSP on March 16, will contest from Amroha against sitting BJP MP Kanwar Singh Tanwar.
“Danish Ali has been fielded from Amroha as the party has decided that a backward community leader should contest election from the seat,” a BSP leader said.
BSP has decided to field senior party leader Girish Chandra Jatav from Nagina (reserved) seat. A close aide of Mayawati, Jatav was earlier appointed zonal coordinator of the party in west UP. Congress has fielded Omvati Devi Jatav from Nagina while the BJP is yet to announce its candidate.
Haji Mohammad Yakub, who shot into limelight in 2006 when he announced ₹51 crore bounty on the head of a Danish cartoonist alleging disrespect to Islam, will contest on BSP ticket from Meerut seat.
Satbir Nagar, a Gujjar leader, will contest from Gautam Buddha Nagar. The BSP had earlier made Sanjay Bhati the in-charge of Gautam Buddha Nagar seat. Badalpur, the native village of Mayawati, is located in this district.
Former BSP MLA from Hastinapur Yogesh Verma will contest from Bulandshahr. His wife Sunita Verma is the mayor of Meerut.
A Jat leader Ajit Baliyan will contest from Aligarh. A resident of Jattari area of Aligarh, Baliyan runs a construction company. Manoj Kumar Soni, a businessman, will contest from Agra.
Another Jat leader Rajvir Singh will contest from Fatehpur Sikri. Singh, a marble trader, has been an active member of BSP since 1996.
The party had made Seema Upadhyaya the Lok Sabha in-charge of Fatehpur Sikri but she urged the leadership to shift her to Aligarh. Mayawati, however, turned down her request.
Ruchi Veera, who had defected from the SP, has been given ticket from Aonla seat. Veera belongs to trading community and made the in-charge of Bijnore seat.
A political observer AK Mishra said, “BSP enjoys hold over the Jatav community in the region. Mayawati is wooing Gujjar, Jat and Muslim communities to ensure victory in the Lok Sabha elections.”
