Farmers Movement Archive

Panchayat polls: BJP releases second list

LUCKNOW: Days after revealing its first cut of candidates, which was a mix of various caste groups and in some cases having representation from Muslim minorities too, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) declared the second list of candidates for the three-tier panchayat polls on Tuesday, much on the lines of how it releases lists for assembly and Lok Sabha polls. Like in bigger polls, the BJP leadership discussed names of candidates for these rural polls too and then the lists were officially released by the party. Immediately after the release, its leaders tasked with panchayat polls cheered up the cadre, saying their political opponents were trapped in internal dissension as well as confusion over candidate selection for the rural elections. “Many are seeing these polls as a semi-final ahead of 2022 UP polls. But people forget we have won all the polls since 2014 Lok Sabha polls,” the UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev said, emphasising on party’s preparedness While the BJP officially released lists of candidates for 18 districts, including key ones like Rampur, Rae Bareli, Sant Kabir Nagar and Bhadohi on Friday last itself, on Tuesday it released the lists for Azamgarh, Maharajganj, Etawah and Lalitpur. “Had it not been for fresh covid surge, we had planned some big rallies in villages. Now, of course, the campaign would be held in keeping with the covid protocol. The opposition appears to be nowhere in the race,” the party leaders have been telling the cadres in their regular briefings. Like the Samajwadi Party, the BSP too didn’t officially release candidate lists even as the BJP accused the Congress of not being able to find enough candidates for these polls even in Rae Bareli, the Lok Sabha constituency of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, a point that has been finding regular mention in all BJP campaign related to these polls. The BJP campaign is mostly centered around how the farm laws are beneficial for the farmers and that the party leadership is open to farmers’ concerns and willing to make changes in the farm laws. Other parts of the campaign include a publicity brochure containing various schemes initiated for the poor. Privately, BJP leaders admit that at many places they expect a BJP vs SP contest in the state’s countryside where several political parties, new to the state, too are trying their luck. These include parties like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM, which are looking at these rural polls as a chance to test the water before deciding whether to contest the 2022 UP assembly polls that would follow soon after these polls. However, it is the BJP that has declared maximum candidates so far and hasn’t witnessed any major bickering, barring the one in Jhansi when its district chief had to beat a hasty retreat amid protest by local cadres. Having decided on a phased announcement of candidates, and having built considerable hype around these rural polls, the party’s first list of announcements made on Friday, even contained districts that go to polls in the second phase. “That shows our planning. Chitrakoot and Kannauj will go to polls in the second phase and yet, we announced them. We also named candidates for 52 wards of Rae Bareli. How many has Congress named,” asked BJP lawmaker Vijay Bahadur Pathak, the party’s UP in-charge for panchayat polls. In certain districts like Kannauj and Ghaziabad, the BJP, accused of not fielding many Muslim candidates, has also fielded candidates from the community. Lalji Verma, BSP’s legislature party leader in UP Assembly, however, dismissed BJP’s claim of being well prepared. “BJP is the ruling party and naturally is ‘well prepared’. If they are so confident, they should have contested the elections to the post of pradhan (village head) and block development council (BDC) member on their ticket,” said Verma.

Hindustan Times

06-04-2021

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