Despite recent setbacks, BSP confident of good show in J’khand
LUCKNOW: Despite the party’s poor performance in Maharashtra and Haryana assembly elections last month, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has set the ball rolling for the party’s campaign in Jharkhand.
BSP has decided to contest the assembly election on its own, said senior party leader and in-charge of Jharkhand Ram Kumar Kureel.
He added: “The party has decided to field candidates on all the 81 assembly seats. The list of candidates on 13 assembly seats going to poll in the first phase has been released by the party.”
Addressing party leaders and office bearers last week, Mayawati said though he party failed to open its account in Maharashtra and Haryana it succeeded in holding on to its vote bank.
Along with strengthening its base in UP, the BSP will continue to expand its base in other states as well, she had said. She also directed Jharkhand state unit leaders to start preparation for the assembly election.
The BSP will work on its Scheduled Caste-Scheduled Tribe formula to secure victory in the assembly election and expand its base in the tribaldominated state, she had said.
The party leaders were also directed to highlight her resignation from the Rajya Sabha over the issue of negligence of the SC and ST community. The focus will be on winning support of tribal community, she said.
Mayawati will launch the party’s election campaign at a rally on November 27. The rally venue was being finalized. The first phase of the polling will be held on November 30, Kureel said. In the 2009 assembly election in Jharkhand, BSP polled 3.6%, whereas it polled 2.39 % vote in 2014. It managed to secure victory on a single seat through Kushwaha Shivpujan Mehta, who secured victory from Hussainabad assembly seat in Jharkhand.
Before the coming assembly election, Kushwaha jolted the party leadership by joining AJSU, which is contesting the election in alliance with BJP. AJSU has fielded him from Hussainabad seat.
BSP Jharkhand unit president Subal Das said Kushwaha was indulging in anti- party activities and the BSP leadership had expelled him from the party.
Kureel said the BSP plans to emerge as kingmaker in Jharkhand with not only increasing its seat tally but vote percentage as well. The people are disillusioned with the BJP government and regional parties, including JMM, he said.