Mobilise support for Rajya Sabha elections, Yogi tells ministers
LUCKNOW: A day after the BJP’s move to withdraw two extra candidates and keep its ninth candidate in fight, chief minister Yogi Adityanath asked his ministerial colleagues to mobilise support for the party’s candidates for biennial election to 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Besides BJP’s nine candidates, including Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, actor turned politician and SP MP Jaya Bachchan and BSP candidate BR Ambedkar are among 11 candidates in fray.
As election is scheduled to take place on March 23, lobbying has intensified further and an eye is being kept on some ministers, including Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) leader and minister for backward classes welfare Om Prakash Rajbhar, who has remained critical of his government’s performance in recent months.
The SBSP with four MLAs is one of the BJP’s two allies, the Apna Dal having nine MLAs being the other. Rajbhar was among the ministers who met Yogi after Friday’s cabinet meeting and held discussions about the BJP’s defeat in the by-election to Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats. Yogi on his part asked Rajbhar to mobilise support for the party’s candidate in Rajya Sabha elections. “Chief minister has been meeting ministers in the past two days and discussing issues of support to ninth BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections. He is asking ministers to mobilise support for the party’s candidates in Rajya Sabha elections,” said sources familiar with the meetings at the chief minister’s office.
Other senior BJP leaders are also reaching out to the party’s own MLAs and the allies to ensure that there was no cross voting from ruling alliance’s camp. The Samajwadi Party and BSP camps too have been holding meetings to give a final shape to party’s strategy for the elections. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati have been meeting their respective party’s legislators to keep their flock firmly behind candidates.
Chief minister has been meeting ministers in the past two days and discussing issues of support to ninth BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections. He is asking ministers to mobilise support for candidates SOURCES