Lok Sabha Elections
– Photo: Amar Ujala
Expansion
BSP has fielded a third candidate on all three seats in the last 20 days. Whereas last week, the national coordinator of BSP has also conducted election rallies in Varanasi and Azamgarh in favor of these candidates. Actually, caste balance in Azamgarh seat is being considered as the reason.
Here BSP wants to win the elections with the help of Dalit-Muslim alliance. At the same time, in Bhadohi and Varanasi, the candidates’ lack of connect with the people is being considered as a vehicle for change. First, the party nominated Athar Jamal Lari as its candidate for Varanasi seat.
He has also contested Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the past. In such a situation, he was considered an experienced candidate. But within a few days, BSP canceled his ticket and made former councilor Niaz Ali Manju its candidate. All the party leaders were silent on this, saying that this change has happened on the request of a big leader of a national party.
But on Thursday evening, BSP once again expressed confidence in Athar Jamal Lari. On the other hand, on April 12, BSP made Bhim Rajbhar its candidate for Azamgarh seat. Bhim Rajbhar started spreading propaganda. About 16 days later, on April 28, BSP announced Sabiha Ansari as its candidate and Bhim Rajbhar was made the candidate from Salempur Lok Sabha seat.
Just three days later, on May 2, BSP has replaced Sabiha Ansari with her husband Mashhood Ahmed. Actually, the reason for this change in Azamgarh is considered to be caste balance. Dalit votes on this seat are around 2.25 lakh and Muslim votes are around 1.5 lakh.
BSP wants to win the seat with the help of this alliance, whereas Rajbhar community has only around twenty thousand members. BSP leaders gave a message to the top leadership that with Bhim Rajbhar in power, the contest would not be triangular, hence Sabiha Ansari was made the candidate. But then the party leaders demanded to give ticket to her husband and on this basis he was given the ticket. However, Sabiha Ansari says that her health is not good, hence she herself appealed to the party to make her husband a candidate.