UP Election 2022: Mayawati Trains Guns On BJP, Urges EC To Curb Rising Misuse Of Religion In Politics
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said this impacts the elections and added the entire country is worried about this.
Lucknow: Asserting there have been “attempts to derive electoral advantage using religion” during the polls in the past few years, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday said the Election Commission must curb this worrying trend.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said this impacts the elections and added the entire country is worried about this.
Mayawati said the Election Commission should take serious steps to curb the narrow politics of selfishness as was evident in the past few years.
The BSP chief’s remarks came a day after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath while alluding to the roughly 20 percent Muslim population in Uttar Pradesh said the upcoming assembly polls will be an 80 percent versus 20 percent one.
Mayawati said the BJP will lose the upcoming elections if there is no misuse of government machinery and there are no discrepancies in EVMs and urged the poll panel to keep an eye on it.
The BSP chief accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh of foisting a jungle raj through its biased policies,
“Owing to the biased approach of the (BJP) government, a ‘jungle raj’ of criminals is prevailing… Due to this, the people of every caste and section are feeling very sad. A section of the upper caste, which had in the previous elections voted enthusiastically for the BJP, is feeling very sad,” Mayawati told reporters here, PTI reported.
The BSP chief also used the occasion to take a dig at the Samajwadi Party.
“In the state, there is a party, which is dreaming of bagging 400 out of 403 seats by banking on the people who have been expelled from other parties and allying with other parties,” said Mayawati.
Stating “only the BSP can give a popular government”, she added: “Their dreams, however, will be shattered on March 10.”
The BSP chief further said there has been a gross violation of the Model Code of Conduct in the holding of rallies and roadshows amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
She added the polls can be held successfully only when the Election Commission’s fear is there in the government machinery too.
The BSP chief assured her “disciplined” BSP will strictly adhere to the Model Code of Conduct for which the party cadre too will be instructed separately.
Mayawati demanded that adequate arrangements should be made at hyper-sensitive booths for the Dalits and the people from the society’s weaker sections so that they could cast their votes.
Asking the people of Uttar Pradesh not to be misled by survey agencies which show the BSP “out of the race” till voting, Mayawati said: “In the 2007 UP assembly elections, the BSP was kept out of the poll race and it was shown that the SP and BJP were in the contest.”
“However, when the results came, these parties were much behind us,” she added expressing confidence that the 2007 situation will be replicated this time.
Earlier on Saturday, the Election Commission said polling for the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly will be held in seven phases beginning February 10.
The polling dates will be February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, March 3 and 7, while the counting of votes will take place on March 10.
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