Mayawati announces her list of 100, flags 34 Muslim faces

NEW DELHI: Keeping the Dalit-Muslim combination in mind, the Bahujan Samaj Party ( BSP) on Thursday released a list of 100 candidates, including 34 Muslims, for assembly polls in the 20 districts of Western Uttar Pradesh.

Before selecting candidates for districts like Sambhal, Moradabad, Firozabad, Agra, Etah and Kashganj — considered to be ruling SP’s stronghold — BSP chief Mayawati seems to have done her homework well. All the 100 seats will go to polls in the first and the second phase on February 11 and February 15. In Shamli district’s Thana Bhavan, currently represented by BJP’s Suresh Rana, BSP has fielded Abdulrao Waris. “He may bag the Muslim votes. He is a popular face too,” a BSP source said. The party has selected Mohammed Islam for neighbouring seat Shamli.

While the party has fielded Shivan Singh Saini from Khatauli (in Muzaffarnagar), its choice for Muzaffarnagar seat is Rakesh Kumar Sharma. Saiyada Beghum, Noor Salim Rana and Nawajish Aalam Khan have been fielded from Budhana, Charthawal and Meerapur assembly seats in Muzaffarnagar, respectively. In Bijnore, the party has fielded Zamil Ahemad Ansari (Nazibabad), Virendra Pal Singh (Nagina-SC), Fahad Yazdani (Badhapur), Mohammed Ghazi (Dhampur), Vivek Singh (Nahtore-SC), Rasid Ahemad (Bijnore) and Mohemmad Iqbal (Noorpur).

“Mohammed Iqbal, a sitting MLA, is going to contest as a BSP nominee for the third time from Chandpur seat. BSP’s another face is Mohammed Ghazi who represents Badhapur. BSP has fielded him from neighbouring Dhampur seat,” a source in Bijnore told ET.

The Bahujan Samaj Party’s choice for Suar seat is Nawab Kazim Ali Khan. BSP has announced candidates for only two seats of Rampur, a stronghold of ruling SP’s Muslim face Azam Khan. In Moradabad, BSP’s old horse Haji Akabar Hussain will contest from Kundarki, which is represented by SP’s local Muslim face Mohammed Rizwan. Vijay Yadav is BSP’s choice for Thakurdwara seat.