Allies, rebels add to BJP’s troubles in municipal poll

The BJP faces trouble from within as the election process for municipal elections in Uttar Pradesh gets underway. The two allies of the BJP are in an unrelenting mood and the problem of rebel candidates is also queering the pitch for the ruling party. The Apna Dal (S) has decided not to contest the municipal elections as ‘mark of protest’ against the refusal of BJP to ‘accommodate our candidates”. Apna Dal (S) spokesman Arvind Sharma said that the party had submitted its list but BJP is yet to respond. The party has now ‘allowed’ its workers to contest elections as independent candidates which means that the BJP would lose out on Kurmi votes that rally behind the Apna Dal (S). The other BJP ally in Uttar Pradesh, the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party is also adding to the saffron party’s troubles. UP minister and president of SBSP, Om Prakash Rajbhar, has decided to field candidates in the urban local bodies in six districts of eastern UP. The SBSP has announced the list of candidates for the chairmen of municipal councils and municipal corporations in Deoria, Ballia, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Bhadohi and Mau. The party has also decided to field candidates in three wards of Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation. “We spoke to the BJP leaders but there was no positive response. Hence our party workers are filing nomination papers for the elections on their own”, said the minister. He added that “time will tell” whether contesting the urban local bodies polls separately will affect his party’s ties with the BJP. Mr Rajbhar said that his party may contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections separately “if the BJP persists with such an attitude”. Another BJP ally, the Shiv Sena is also fielding candidates across the state in the municipal elections.