Akash Anand of BSP to Lead Party Campaign Starting April 6

Lucknow, March 29 (IANS) Akash Anand, the political heir apparent to BSP President Mayawati, is set to kick off his campaign from Nagina on April 6 and conclude in Kanpur on May 1 in Uttar Pradesh. This marks Anand’s first independent campaign for BSP candidates in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, covering various constituencies in both west and east UP.

Anand will begin his campaign by addressing public meetings in Khurja, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, and Sahibabad. He will then move on to hold meetings in Bareilly, Mathura, Agra, Aligarh, and Hathras in west UP. Following this, he will tour east UP and address election meetings in Basti, Gorakhpur, Azamgarh, Varanasi, and Ambedkar Nagar, among others.

Additionally, Anand’s campaign will extend to districts like Prayagraj, Mirzapur, Ayodhya, Devipatan, Jhansi, Chitrakoot, and Kanpur divisions. In Lucknow division, he is scheduled to address meetings in Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Hardoi, Lucknow, Mohanlalganj, Raebareli, and Unnao.

The BSP has declared candidates for 25 parliamentary seats in UP for the current elections. Notably, the party has announced its candidates for all districts going to polls in the second phase on April 26, except for Aligarh. The first phase will cover districts like Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur, and Pilibhit.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BSP secured four seats in west UP districts, with winning candidates from Saharanpur, Bijnor, Nagina, and Amroha. Notably, Kunwar Danish Ali has now joined Congress, while two other winners have not been repeated by the party in the upcoming polls.

Following Mayawati’s decision to contest solo, BSP faces new challenges this time compared to 2019. The party aims to retain its base among Jatavs in west UP, with Akash Anand’s appointment as Mayawati’s successor serving as a strategic move to strengthen their support base.

Anand’s campaign also seeks to counter the influence of Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Aazad, whose popularity among Dalit youths poses a challenge for the BSP. The party’s strategy revolves around consolidating support among Jatavs and demonstrating its commitment to the community through Anand’s campaign efforts.

–IANS
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