Mayawati may take fight to Congress’ 'family seats'

According to highly placed sources in the party, the list for the first and second phases of polling is expected any time soon. 
BSP supremo Mayawati (File | PTI)
BSP supremo Mayawati (File | PTI)

LUCKNOW: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s meeting with Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad at a hospital in Meerut seems to have annoyed Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati leadership so much that she is reportedly considering fielding candidates from the Gandhi family pocket boroughs of Amethi and Rae Bareli. The SP-BSP alliance had decided to leave the two seats for the Congress.

The BSP chief convened an important meeting of its core committee on Thursday in order to give final shape to the party’s candidate list for the Lok Sabha elections. “The issue of fielding candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli was also discussed at the meeting,” said an informed source.

According to highly placed sources in the party, the list for the first and second phases of polling is expected any time soon. 

On Wednesday evening, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had called on Mayawati at her immediately after AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi visited Azad. The political circles were abuzz that Mayawati was miffed over Priyanka meeting the Dalit leader. 

However, SP sources downplayed the meeting as a mere “pressure tactics” by Congress after BSP’s snub, putting an end to all possibilities of Grand Old Party being roped into the alliance.  Senior SP leader and spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary claimed Akhilesh had met Mayawati to discuss the joint campaign programme and holding joint public rallies as the alliance was preparing for a full-fledged campaign post-Holi. Sources said the SP-BSP joint campaign will take off from Saharanpur. 
Meanwhile, Azad, who announced his candidature against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi, has asked Akhilesh to clarify is stand on the issue of reservations in job promotion.

Azad referred to AIIMS

Bheem Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad was referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi by the doctors of Anand hospital in Meerut on Thursday.  Azad was arrested for violating model code of conduct by taking out the Bahujan Hunkar rally in Deoband in Saharanpur on Tuesday. He was taken to a Meerut hospital after he fell sick in custody.

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