UP Polls: Mayawati drops half of sitting MLAs from list

Lucknow, Jan 16: The BSP party has denied tickets to half of its sitting MLAs for the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

"The party has dropped around 100 sitting MLAs, including ministers, from its list of candidates released by party supremo Mayawati yesterday," said a senior party functionary.

Mayawati's step to deny tickets to MLAs came as no surprise, as she is on a major image makeover drive and has so far sacked 21 ministers.

Majority of the ministers sacked by the chief minister were those who joined the party before or after the 2007 Assembly elections.

Those in her list include the names of prominent ministers like Badshah Singh, Avadhpal Singh, Bahadur Singh, Ratan Lal Ahirwar and Yashpal Singh.

In a press meet, Mayawati said that the party was cautious while choosing candidates and made sure that the candidates had a clean image and were committed towards the party's movement.

"Special attention was given as in last Assembly elections a number of wrong people from other parties managed to get ticket of our party," she said.

She further said that those who entered the party after they came to power deviated from their path by involving in wrong doings and maligned both the party and government's image.

"Such people also spoilt the old cadre of the party, due to which stern action has to be taken against such ministers and MLAs. Due to this reason they were also denied ticket," she said.

OneIndia News