Allies, rebels add to BJP’s troubles in municipal poll

Lucknow: The BJP faces trouble from within as the election process for municipal elections in Uttar Pradesh gets underway. The two allies of the BJP are in an unrelenting mood and the problem of rebel candidates is also queering the pitch for the ruling party. The Apna Dal (S) has decided not to contest the municipal elections as ‘mark of protest’ against the refusal of BJP to ‘accommodate our candidates”. Apna Dal (S) spokesman Arvind Sharma said that the party had submitted its list but BJP is yet to respond. The party has now ‘allowed’ its workers to contest elections as independent candidates which means that the BJP would lose out on Kurmi votes that rally behind the Apna Dal (S). The other BJP ally in Uttar Pradesh, the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party is also adding to the saffron party’s troubles. UP minister and president of SBSP, Om Prakash Rajbhar, has decided to field candidates in the urban local bodies in six districts of eastern UP. The SBSP has announced the list of candidates for the chairmen of municipal councils and municipal corporations in Deoria, Ballia, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Bhadohi and Mau. The party has also decided to field candidates in three wards of Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation. “We spoke to the BJP leaders but there was no positive response. Hence our party workers are filing nomination papers for the elections on their own”, said the minister. He added that “time will tell” whether contesting the urban local bodies polls separately will affect his party’s ties with the BJP. Mr Rajbhar said that his party may contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections separately “if the BJP persists with such an attitude”. Another BJP ally, the Shiv Sena is also fielding candidates across the state in the municipal elections.

Sena state chief Anil Singh said, “We are an independent entity in UP and will contest on our own”. After the allies, the BJP is also facing trouble from its rebel candidates who have forced a group called ‘Nirdaliya Morcha’. Most of these rebels are sitting corporators who have been denied tickets. The rebels alleged that they have been denied tickets without even being allowed to explain. Such rebels include Jitendra Upadhyaya Mintu, Sarla Giri, Ramji Misra Saurabh Singh and Amit Sonkar. “I am contesting as an independent because the people of my ward want me to contest. The party has not found me fit to contest and they have not even given a reason for this”, said Mr Sonkar. Interestingly, the BSP is cashing in on the revolt in BJP over tickets. The party has already given its symbol to a number of rebel candidates including Krishna Kant Shulka and Pankaj Saxena.