Mayawati says won't field Atiq Ahmed's wife for Prayagraj mayoral post; demands ballot paper system for UP urban local body polls

The voting for the urban local body polls will be held on May 4 and 11 and the counting will take place on May 13

BSP supremo Mayawati on Monday said that her party would not field mafia don Atiq Ahmed's wife Shaista Parveen for the post of Mayor of Prayagraj in the forthcoming UP Local Urban Body polls even as she demanded that the local body polls be held through the ballot paper system and not EVMs.

Speaking to reporters here, Mayawati also made it clear that no member of Atiq's family would be nominated by her party in the forthcoming local body polls.

''The situation has changed completely after the killing of Umesh Pal, the key witness in the murder of the then BSP MLA Raju Pal, and the allegations against Shaista, who has been absconding...we will not give tickets to her or any other member of Atiq's family,'' Mayawati said.

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Shaista had joined the BSP in January this year and was the front runner in the race for the BSP nomination for the post of Mayor of Prayagraj. Several BSP leaders had been batting for fielding Shaista for the mayoral post.

The BSP supremo, however remained evasive on the question of expelling Shaista from her party and said that a decision in this regard would be taken after Shaista was arrested by the police.

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Mayawati also demanded that the forthcoming urban local body polls be held through ballot papers and not EVMs. ''Our party will go it alone in the polls and will put up a decent fight,'' she added.

UP Urban Local Body polls are scheduled to be held in two phases on May four and 11. Counting of votes would be taken up on May 13.