Lucknow, March 24 -- In a strategic move aimed at puncturing Akhilesh Yadav's cycle, Samajwadi Party's electoral symbol, BSP chief Mayawati has strategically announced seven Muslim candidates out of the total 16 announced on Sunday.
The constituencies where BSP has fielded Muslim candidates include Saharanpur, Moradabad, Rampur, Sambhal, Amroha, Aonla, and Pilibhit.
Notably, the party's decision to prioritise Muslim candidates on seven seats has raised eyebrows, while the absence of any female candidates in the lineup has drawn criticism.
The BSP has also announced candidates for three reserved seats. It is noteworthy that a majority of these candidates were previously announced by the party's zonal coordinators.
This announcement comes on the heels of the Congress party's release of its candidate,
The allocation of Muslim candidates across multiple seats signals the emergence of a three-way electoral tussle.
Among the prominent nominations, Majid Ali secures the BSP ticket for Saharanpur, while Shripal Singh and Dara Singh Prajapati will vie for Kairana and Muzaffarnagar respectively. Other key candidates include Vijendra Singh (Bijnaur), Surendra Pal Singh (Nagina, SC), and Mohammad Irfan Saifi (Moradabad).
In Rampur, Zeeshan Khan emerges as the BSP's candidate, joined by Shaukat Ali (Sambhal), Mujahid Hussain (Amroha), and Devvratt Tyagi (Meerut). Additionally, Praveen Bansal is slated to contest from Baghpat, Rajendra Singh Solanki from Gautam Buddh Nagar, Girish Chandra Jatav from Bulandshahr (SC), Abid Ali from Aonla, Anis Ahmad Khan from Pilibhit, and Dodaram Verma from Shahjahanpur (SC).
Earlier this year, BSP supremo Mayawati reaffirmed the party's decision to refrain from entering any electoral alliances, opting instead to go solo in the forthcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"I want to clarify that our party (BSP) will go solo in the upcoming (2024) Lok Sabha polls," she had declared.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.