Akash Anand begins poll campaign in Nagina, hits out at Bhim Army chief
BSP chief Mayawati’s nephew and political successor takes out rally in support of party candidate from seat reserved for SCs, accuses opponent Azad of misleading Dalit youth without naming him
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) national coordinator Akash Anand on Saturday kicked off his Lok Sabha elections campaign from the Nagina constituency in western Uttar Pradesh by targeting Azad Samaj Party (ASP) candidate and Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad.
Without naming Mr. Azad, the BSP leader accused him of misleading Dalit youth and ruining their careers by involving them in protests, which results in cases being registered against them.
Addressing a rally in support of the BSP candidate from the seat, Surendra Pal Singh, Mr. Anand said the party believes in positive politics based on justice for the marginalised sections, while some elements are indulging in negative politics. “Some people take our people out on the streets for protest, but after fulfilling their personal aim, they renounce them. They mislead people, get cases registered against them and run away. Such negative politics needs to be rejected,” he said at the rally.
‘Be on your guard’
Attacking the Bhim Army chief further, the BSP leader said he tried hard to secure the support of the INDIA bloc, but failed. “He wanted to join the INDIA alliance to get a seat for himself, but his luck is so bad that the attempt failed. Such people are roaming and asking you to give one seat. But beware of such elements that weaken our struggle for the marginalised sections,” said Mr. Anand, who is BSP president Mayawati’s nephew and political successor.
Mr. Anand expressed gratitude to party workers and supporters for attending the event in large numbers. “Thank you to all supporters, workers, and incharges of the BSP. The love, support, and cooperation you have shown in Nagina is the strength of the BSP family. The BSP candidate has to be sent to the Lok Sabha with a huge margin,” he said.
Nagina, a reserved constituency for the Scheduled Castes, is a highstakes seat with contenders from the Dalit political space trying to project themselves as the leaders of the community amid the BJP’s eroding electoral base. The constituency has a sizeable Dalit electorate, with a large part of Bijnor district coming under it after delimitation in 2008.
Ms. Mayawati, fourtime Chief Minister, made her debut in parliamentary polls by winning the Bijnor seat in 1989. In 2019, BSP candidate Girish Chandra won the Nagina seat by a margin of over 1.67 lakh votes. This year, the BJP has fielded Om Kumar from the seat, while the Samajwadi Party nominee is Manoj Kumar.