LUCKNOW: While Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) re-elected Mayawati its national president unanimously on Wednesday, the party took the lead in announcing the names of probable candidates for 13 assembly seats going to bypolls in the state soon.
Following her re-election, the BSP chief reiterated her vow “never to stop, bend or break.” Mayawati was elected at a special meeting of senior office-bearers of the party's central executive committee, its state units and representatives selected from across the country.
Expressing her gratitude to her care for re-electing her to lead party movement further, Mayawati assured the party workers and followers of her continued commitment to take the organisation forward to newer heights.
Recalling her four regimes in Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati claimed she had set an example of good governance in the state and the work done by her would consolidate her claim to victory in upcoming elections.
Referring to the assembly elections to be held soon in Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Delhi, she said the party has to contest all elections with "full strength".
"The BSP has to fight these elections against both the ruling BJP and the Congress and has to move forward by first becoming a balancing power," she said.
Meanwhile, as always the BSP took a lead over its rivals by announcing the names of party candidates for upcoming by-polls to 13 assembly seats in UP. In a departure of its long drawn policy of not contesting by-elections, Mayawati this time is all set to field candidates on all 13 seats going to election anytime soon.
All the 13 sets have gone vacant as the sitting MLAs were elected to lower house in 2018 general elections. Of the 13 seats, BSP and Sp had sitting MLAs in Jalajpur Ambedkarnagar and Rampur respectively.
Rest 11 seats had been in the BJP’s kitty. Clearing BSP stand on abrogation of Art 370 yet again, Mayawati said it was the fulfilment of the wish of Dr BR Ambedkar. “He was a strong votary of unity and integrity of the country.
So BSP supported the revocation of Art 370 in Jammu and Kashmir,” she said adding that patience was imperative as it would take some time for the conditions to get normal in the valley. “Even the court agreed to this view,” said the BSP chief.
She held former PM Late Jawahar Lal Nehru and Congress responsible for the plight of Kashmir and welcomed the decision to give Laddakh the status of Union Territory.