Muslim, Dalit form forum to contest UP elections

Lucknow, Mar 6: A group of Muslim and Dalit parties in Uttar Pradesh today announced the launch of a forum to contest the forthcoming assembly elections.

People's Democratic Front, National League, Parcham Party, Momin Conference, Nationalist Loktantrik Party and Ambedkar Samaj Party today announced the formation of a 'joint political forum' to contest the seven-phase assembly elections in the state beginning next month.

The parties claim that though the front would not contest on all the 403 assembly seats, its candidates would be fielded across UP.

''While our talks with Congress and Jan Morcha are on, we would want the United Democratic Front (UDF) to join hands,'' said front co-ordinator Maulana Mujtaba Farooq of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. The Jamaat would back the front and provide it with its network in the state to contest the polls.

He claimed that various clerics have come out in support of the forum.

''Various political parties have used Muslims and Dalits as a vote bank but none has actually worked for their cause,'' he alleged.

The forum also accused the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for ''Brahminisation'' of the party and claimed that Dalits continued to remain deprived in the state.

UNI