JOIN USThe next Lok Sabha (LS) elections may be several months away but political outfits in Uttar Pradesh (UP) are already in poll mode and have sounded the bugle informally.
The three parties–the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP)–have held meetings of their workers and leaders and are busy chalking out election strategy.
The SP and the BSP have started the process of selecting candidates. The SP has already declared its LS nominees for majority of the 80 parliamentary constituencies in the state.
On Saturday, the BSP, the BJP and the SP held different programmes across the state in a bid to galvanise supporters.
While the SP held a meeting of the backward caste leaders and workers here, the BSP launched its “brahmin sammelans” (meetings) at Sant Kabirnagar district.
The BJP also held a “dharna” (sit-in) in the state capital in protest against the alleged deteriorating law and order situation in UP and the anti-people policies of the Central government.
Addressing the backward caste leaders, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav said that the general election could be declared any time and asked them to be prepared. He also asked them to ensure that the SP won at least 40-45 seats so that the party could have a say in the formation of the next government at the Centre.
At the BSP’s brahmin meet, the party’s brahmin face and general-secretary Satish Chandra Mishra said that atrocities on brahmins and dalits had increased manifold during the SP regime.
“In the chief minister’s home district of Etawah, brahmins were humiliated and hounded out of their homes,” Mishra said exhorting brahmins to support the BSP in the forthcoming polls.
While leading the BJP dharna, Varun Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the state and the Central governments’ accusing them of being insensitive to the problems of the people.
“The SP government has failed on the law and order front while the UPA regime has turned out be the most corrupt so far,” Varun said.