‘Casteist, communal parties having sleepless nights’: Mayawati on UP civic polls

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday said “casteist” and “communal” parties are having sleepless nights ahead of the Uttar Pradesh urban local body polls after her party gave adequate representation to the Muslim community in the upcoming election. The BSP has fielded 11 Muslim candidates on 11 out of the 17 mayoral seats, a strategy perceived as an attempt to divide the Samajwadi Party's (SP) traditional Muslim-Yadav vote bank.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday said “casteist” and “communal” parties are having sleepless nights ahead of the Uttar Pradesh urban local body polls after her party gave adequate representation to the Muslim community in the upcoming election. The BSP has fielded 11 Muslim candidates on 11 out of the 17 mayoral seats, a strategy perceived as an attempt to divide the Samajwadi Party's (SP) traditional Muslim-Yadav vote bank.

On Thursday, the BSP chief called upon the people to vote for change in urban local bodies by supporting her party in the civic polls. In a series of tweets, Mayawati said vote for change would also provide relief to the people from corruption in the local bodies, lack of development (including roads, sanitation and drains) as well as arbitrary increase in house tax and huge interest on it.