BSP not to contest Rampur bypoll

LUCKNOW: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will not contest the bypoll for the Rampur parliamentary seat and also not support any party on this seat.

By-elections for the Rampur and Azamgarh seats will be held on June 23.

The polls have been necessitated after resignations of Azam Khan and SP president Akhilesh Yadav, who won the assembly polls. In a statement issued after a two-day party review meeting here, the BSP said, “The party will not contest the Lok Sabha by-elections from Rampur seat as we have to work on this seat to make it strong. The party will also not support anyone on this seat. Party has already decided to contest from Azamgarh seat.”

The party asserted that it was “capable” of shaking the roots of the “anti-poor” and “pro-capitalists” BJP in the state.

At the meeting, Mayawati said the BSP is a party with limited resources and it is fighting parties which are run with the support of capitalists so “we have to make the party strong by holding small cadre-based meetings. We did not get expected results in the assembly polls even after hard work.”

She added “A new political development will give a new lease of life to the party and for this attempts are on. After uprooting the Congress from the state, the BSP is the only party that can do the same for the BJP.” An atmosphere of atrocities on poor and anarchy is seen in the BJP rule but people cannot muster courage to speak against them, she charged.

“Poor and unemployed are targeted in the name of anti-encroachment drives and they are made targets with the terror of bulldozer. The right use of bulldozer is for making roads and construction works but it has been put for destruction works,” she said. At the meeting, Mayawati advised party workers to hold cadre meetings on the issues of employment and basic problems of people.

To divert the attention of people, religious issues and disputes are being raised in the state, she alleged.