UP Lok Sabha Election 2024
– Photo: Amar Ujala
Expansion
Bahujan Samaj Party is making all efforts to create Muslim vote bank. From the selection of candidates to the minority welfare schemes brought by the BSP government to woo Muslim voters, they are being heavily publicized. Party’s National Coordinator Akash Anand’s team is taking charge of this campaign in the Delhi office.
According to party sources, in view of the changing political equations in UP, BSP has now started focusing on voters after Muslim candidates. Regarding the elections, the remarkable work done by the BSP government in the interest of minorities is being talked about on social media. Plans have also been made to promote it in the upcoming rallies of Mayawati and Akash Anand.
Priority in candidate selection also
Out of the 37 officially declared candidates of BSP so far, 9 are Muslims. The party has fielded Majid Ali in Saharanpur, Mohammad Irfan Saini in Moradabad, Zeeshan Khan in Rampur, Shaulat Ali in Sambhal, Mujahid Hussain in Amroha, Abid Ali in Amla, Anees Ahmed Khan alias Phoolbabu in Pilibhit, Sarwar Malik in Lucknow and Imran Bin from Kannauj. Zafar has been made the candidate.
In the neighboring state of Uttarakhand, BSP has fielded Muslim candidates in Haridwar and Nainital. Haridwar candidate Jamil Ahmed Qasmi became MLA from BSP from Meerapur seat of Muzaffarnagar in the year 2012. Whereas, Akhtar Ali has been given ticket from Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar seat. It is noteworthy that in the municipal elections held in the state two years ago, BSP had fielded 11 Muslim candidates for the post of Mayor.