Blaming “upper caste” media for portraying her as an underdog in this election, BSP supremo has dusted out her sarva samaj rainbow coalition to combat Narendra Modi in Uttar Pradesh.
Releasing the list for all 80 seats in her stronghold State, she said 17 Dalits, 15 OBCs, 19 Muslims, 21 Brahmins and eight Kshatriyas will fight in the elephant symbol. The list includes seven women.
The BSP leader also put to rest speculations that she herself and senior leaders Naseemuddin Siddiqui and SC Mishra will contest the elections. “I am not aware that I am going to contest from Lalganj seat and party leaders Satish Chandra Mishra or Naseemuddin Siddiqui from Varansi and Azamgarh seats respectively, I contradict such news items published in a section of media,” she told reporters in Lucknow. In Varanasi, Vijay Prakash Jaiswal will take on Modi.
She has made it clear that the efforts are to put the BJP down in the elections. “Instead of issues like unemployment, corruption and poverty, the elections appear to be a contest between two ideologies of communalism and secularism,” she added.
Mayawati said her efforts will be to become the balance of power at the Centre. Veteran leader Akbar Ahmed ‘Dumpy’ will be BSP’s candidate against Beni Prasad Verma in Gonda. Phoolan Devi’s husband Ummed Singh ‘Kashyap’ will fight from Shahjahanpur.