Ravi S Singh
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 6
Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) chief Mayawati is in favour of early announcement of the lists of party’s candidates for the forthcoming Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
For Punjab elections the party prefers to dovetail its strategy with Badals-led Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), its ally.
Assembly polls in UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa will be held in February-March next year.
Mayawati has made an exception for Punjab while entering into an electoral alliance with SAD.
Sources in BSP say Mayawati had mooted the idea of early announcement of nominees in UP and Uttarakhand in a recent meeting with its party leaders held in Lucknow. She wanted the the announcement by the end of this year.
During the meeting, she said the announcement of names of candidates by December 25 would be ideal, but should not be delayed beyond December 31.
She asked the party leaders to identify panels of names of potentially winning candidates keeping the deadline in sight.
Mayawati is of the view that early announcement of the names of candidates for elections in UP and Uttarakhand would give them ample time to focus and plan their election campaign.
The BSP has high stakes in UP where it will be pitted against the ruling BJP-led NDA, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress.
With regard to Punjab, the Mayawati is said to be inclined to go by the electoral strategy drawn up by its senior ally, the SAD, along with the state BSP.
However, inputs of the state BSP on the ground realities will be factored in by Mayawati.
BSP attaches importance to Punjab as its founder Kanshi Ram hailed from the state.
