Meerut/Lucknow,
Nov 7: The stage is set for the crucial three-phased elections to urban
local bodies in Uttar Pradesh and BJP will be hitting the campaign trail on
full steam with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath leading from the front. However, the chiefs of other major parties, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan
Samaj Party (BSP) seem to be shying away from campaigning for their respective
candidates.This is for the first time in the history of UP that all the major political
parties are contesting the urban local body polls, yet the leaders are taking
no risk while campaigning for their candidates.The decision by Mr Adityanath to campaign for BJP’s mayoral candidates is
unprecedented as in the past no chief minister has ever campaigned for
candidates in civic elections.While Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati have
made it clear that they would not campaign in the elections, UP Congress
president Raj Babbar is likely to electioneering for his party’s mayoral
candidates.
Mr Adityanath is expected to launch campaigning from Ayodhya on November 15. This time, Ayodhya too, will witness a contest for mayoral seat along with 15 other districts, including the new entrant Mathura-Vrindavan.The Chief Minister is expected to address 16 election meetings, one each in the 16 municipal corporations in support of BJP’s mayoral candidates. The party has also directed senior ministers to ensure victory in all the 16 municipal bodies. While, Industries Minister Satish Mahana has been given the responsibility of Ayodhya, state Urban Development Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna is in-charge of Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Health Minister Siddharthnath Singh will be looking after Meerut. Defending party's decision to deploy big leaders for handling campaigning in the local body elections, UP BJP general secretary and in-charge of Meerut, Vijay Bahadur Pathak, told reporters in Meerut on Tuesday that it was a “return gift” to the workers by the senior leaders. “During Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections, the workers dedicated themselves to ensure comfortable victories. Now the senior leaders will do the same for the workers. It is a return gift to the workers," Mr Pathak said. He pointed out that the Chief Minister, UP BJP president Mahendra Nath Pandey and all the senior party leaders will put in efforts to ensure victory for party candidates. "The elections are being held for 652 local bodies, covering over 12,000 wards. It is a big election and every leader and worker would put their 100 per cent to ensure maximum win," the BJP leader added. On the other hand, SP spokesperson Rajendra Choudhury said there is no precedence of party presidents campaigning in local body elections. "BJP is setting a wrong precedence and it will boomerang on them," he said. However, another senior SP leader differed on the issue. "In the last 2012 elections when we were in power, the party did not contest the local bodies on the party symbol, which was a big political mistake. Had we contested the elections on party line, the situation would have been different this time around," the leader said on the condition of anonymity. Congress spokesperson Virendra Madan said the party was yet to plan the campaigning programme for the local bodies but confirmed that UPCC chief Raj Babbar will campaign in some selected pockets. The BSP has already announced that Ms Mayawati will not campaign in the local bodies poll, though it was contesting on symbol for the first time. In the 2012 urban local elections, BJP had won 10 of 12 mayoral seats. However, it had won only 42 seats of chairpersons in municipal boards and 36 in Nagar anchayats. Polling for 16 Nagar Nigam, 198 Nagar Palika and 438 Nagar Panchayat polls would be held in three phases on November 22, 26 and 29 with counting of votes is scheduled for December 1. UNI
Mr Adityanath is expected to launch campaigning from Ayodhya on November 15. This time, Ayodhya too, will witness a contest for mayoral seat along with 15 other districts, including the new entrant Mathura-Vrindavan.The Chief Minister is expected to address 16 election meetings, one each in the 16 municipal corporations in support of BJP’s mayoral candidates. The party has also directed senior ministers to ensure victory in all the 16 municipal bodies. While, Industries Minister Satish Mahana has been given the responsibility of Ayodhya, state Urban Development Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna is in-charge of Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Health Minister Siddharthnath Singh will be looking after Meerut. Defending party's decision to deploy big leaders for handling campaigning in the local body elections, UP BJP general secretary and in-charge of Meerut, Vijay Bahadur Pathak, told reporters in Meerut on Tuesday that it was a “return gift” to the workers by the senior leaders. “During Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections, the workers dedicated themselves to ensure comfortable victories. Now the senior leaders will do the same for the workers. It is a return gift to the workers," Mr Pathak said. He pointed out that the Chief Minister, UP BJP president Mahendra Nath Pandey and all the senior party leaders will put in efforts to ensure victory for party candidates. "The elections are being held for 652 local bodies, covering over 12,000 wards. It is a big election and every leader and worker would put their 100 per cent to ensure maximum win," the BJP leader added. On the other hand, SP spokesperson Rajendra Choudhury said there is no precedence of party presidents campaigning in local body elections. "BJP is setting a wrong precedence and it will boomerang on them," he said. However, another senior SP leader differed on the issue. "In the last 2012 elections when we were in power, the party did not contest the local bodies on the party symbol, which was a big political mistake. Had we contested the elections on party line, the situation would have been different this time around," the leader said on the condition of anonymity. Congress spokesperson Virendra Madan said the party was yet to plan the campaigning programme for the local bodies but confirmed that UPCC chief Raj Babbar will campaign in some selected pockets. The BSP has already announced that Ms Mayawati will not campaign in the local bodies poll, though it was contesting on symbol for the first time. In the 2012 urban local elections, BJP had won 10 of 12 mayoral seats. However, it had won only 42 seats of chairpersons in municipal boards and 36 in Nagar anchayats. Polling for 16 Nagar Nigam, 198 Nagar Palika and 438 Nagar Panchayat polls would be held in three phases on November 22, 26 and 29 with counting of votes is scheduled for December 1. UNI
Post A Comment:
0 comments so far,add yours