BSP announces candidates for assembly polls

Lucknow, July 14 (UNI) The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), has started preparations for next year's assembly elections with announcement of party candidates for about 200 seats.

Party supremo Mayawati announced the names of the candidates of which about 30 are at present legislators of other parties including the BJP, the Samajwadi Party and the Loktrantrik Bahujan Dal.

Keeping her promise, Ms Mayawati has also announced to give at least 20 per cent of tickets to the Brahmins and other upper caste candidates.

Announcing the names of the candidates yesterday during a meeting, Ms Mayawati said the party would seriously contest the urban local bodies polls slated in September next and the names of all the candidates would be announced by August 15.

Though it was yet to be made official, BSP has decided to give party ticket to rebel SP MLA Omvati, against whom her party has filed a disqualification petition. With this, Mayawati has started snipping on rebel MLAs of opposition parties.

Independent MLA Mahesh Trivedi who was till date supporting the Mulayam Singh Yadav government, has also joined the BSP and was assured of a party ticket in the assembly polls.

Other prominent candidates who have been assured ticket by the BSP include BJP MLAs Fateh Bahadur Singh, Badshah Singh, Amarjit Singh Jansevek, Fagu Chowhan and Raja Mahendra Aridaman Singh. BJP MLC Puttu Awasthi's son was given a ticket from Haidergarh in Barabanki, while former BJP MLA Rakesh Dhar Tripathi would be the party candidate from Handia in Allahabad.

The party has also given a ticket to the sons of two party MPs- Mitrasen Yadav and Umakant Yadav --while another senior party leader Kamla Prasad Rawat's wife Dharmi Rawat will contest from Barabanki.

Ms Mayawati asked party workers and leaders to concentrate on the coming local bodies poll as it would be ''testing ground'' before the assembly polls.

''BSP would go for a winnable candidate in the assembly and local bodies polls rather than appeasing the kin of the party leaders,'' she strictly said to her party cadres.

The party has announced the names of candidates of Sultanpur, Lucknow, Deoriah, Barabanki, Kanpur, Gonda, Unnao, Faizabad and Azamgarh.

UNI MB NAB LS HT1522