BSP's Mayawati to chair key meet on poll strategy for UP, Punjab

BSP chief Mayawati is chairing a crucial meeting in Lucknow to finalise the party's strategy for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab, focusing on booth-level expansion and candidate selection processes.

BSP chief Mayawati to chair crucial meet on poll strategy

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Wednesday is going to chair a crucial all-India meeting of in Lucknow, which is scheduled to commence at 11 AM, bringing together all senior BSP office-bearers and state presidents from various states. Discussions are centred on fine-tuning ground-level structural preparations, accelerating booth-level expansion, and streamlining candidate selection processes. A primary focus of the deliberations remains on mapping out the party’s electoral roadmap for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab. With the BSP opting to contest these upcoming elections, Mayawati is expected to issue strict directives regarding future electoral strategy.

Rajya Sabha polls announced, SP's Ram Gopal Yadav may contest

On Tuesday, the Election Commission announced the schedule for biennial elections and a by-election to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal, along with biennial elections to the Legislative Councils of Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh from Graduates' and Teachers' constituencies. On the other hand, Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Ram Gopal Yadav has indicated his willingness to contest the forthcoming biennial elections to Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh. Yadav, a Rajya Sabha MP, told ANI that he will contest the polls “if the party gives him a ticket”. Asked how many candidates the Samajwadi Party will field in the Rajya Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, he said that parties decide on the number of their Rajya Sabha candidates based on the strength they have. "Based on that quota, the Samajwadi Party will field as many candidates as possible, and the BJP will field as many as it can. Parties know exactly how many seats they can win, so they field only that many candidates, and the elections end up being uncontested. If the party gives the ticket, then I will definitely contest," Ram Gopal Yadav said.

Mayawati questions SP's 'PDA Rath' concept, colour scheme

Earlier on Monday, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati questioned the Samajwadi Party’s PDA concept ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, alleging that the party had changed the meaning of the acronym according to electoral considerations.

In a post on X, Mayawati also questioned the colour scheme of the SP’s proposed ‘PDA Rath’, saying it featured less of the party’s traditional red and more saffron, which she linked to the RSS and BJP. She questioned whether the change represented an electoral strategy and whether the SP had lost confidence in securing Muslim votes. “The 'PDA Rath' (chariot) promoted by the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief for the upcoming UP assembly elections features less of the party's signature red and more of the RSS/BJP's 'saffron' hue (saffronization); consequently, people are debating whether this is merely a chameleon-like change of colours driven by electoral self-interest, or if the SP chief has lost faith in securing the Muslim vote,” she wrote.

Mayawati claimed that the Muslim community in Uttar Pradesh had supported the SP in previous elections but alleged that this did not prevent the BJP from forming governments at the state and central levels. She claimed that sections of the community were now moving towards the BSP, comparing it with the support she said the party had received from upper-caste, including Brahmin, voters.

Meanwhile, the notification for the Rajya Sabha polls will be issued on September 29, and the last date for filing nominations has been fixed for October 6. Following the scrutiny of papers on October 7, the last date for the withdrawal of candidatures will be October 9. Polling will take place on October 16 between 9 am and 4 pm, and votes will be counted on the same day. (ANI)

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