In a first, Mayawati herself screens BSP aspirants for upcoming UP civic polls

At present, there are 762 urban local bodies, including 17 municipal corporations, 200 nagar palika parishads and 545 nagar panchayats in UP. The total population living under these 762 urban local bodies is 4.85 crore. Earlier this month, the UP government had announced an interim notification of reservations for mayors and chairpersons. After the final notification of reservations, the UP State Election Commission will provide the proposal of programme of elections in the local bodies. Once that is approved by the state government, the Commission will notify the programme of the elections.

While meeting the candidates of mayors and chairpersons, Mayawati is also screening the ticket aspirants of all 1,420 ward corporators for 17 municipal corporations.

Sources in the party said that for past one month Mayawati has been camping in Lucknow and meeting the shortlisted ticket aspirants at her residence every day.

“Ticket seekers are submitting their applications in their respective districts. District units and coordinators screen them and shortlist the winnable candidates based on their local connect and various social equations. They also check out the image of candidates to see if anyone of them have any criminal case against them,” said a party leader.

The leader added that a list of 3 to 4 names is sent to the party president, who calls the candidates to Lucknow for a meeting. “The district president and coordinator accompanies the candidate to meet Behenji (Mayawati) and introduce them. Behenji generally asks questions about the profession, educational qualification, family background, local caste combination of the area and his image in public. Behenji also asks the aspirant to not leave the party if he does not get a ticket, but to work for the chosen candidate. She assures them that they will be rewarded when the party comes to power,” said a district president on condition of anonymity.

The reason why the party president enquires about the profession and source of earning of the candidates is because she wants to give tickets only to honest people. “The BSP leadership is very cautious this time because the party’s Meerut mayor Sunita Verma –elected in 2017 — had joined the SP in 2021. During the screening the party is looking for committed candidates who will not leave the party after the local body polls,” said a leader.

BSP spokesperson Dharamveer Chaudhary said, “The party president is monitoring the process of selection of candidates. Since these local body elections are crucial for the political parties before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the party leadership is giving special attention on the selection of candidates for these polls.”

BSP had not contested recent bypolls in UP. Instead, the party has focused on the preparations for the local body polls.

Sources said that the party president has, in the past, held such meetings with candidates of parliamentary and Assembly elections and mayoral candidates, but is screening the candidates of municipal polls for the first time.

In the 2017 civic polls, when elections were held in 652 urban local bodies, including 16 municipal corporations, 198 nagar palika parishads and 438 nagar panchayats, BSP had own two mayoral seats, Aligarh and Meerut; 147 municipal corporators; 29 nagara palika parishad chairpersons and 262 members; and 45 nagar panchayat chairpersons and 218 members.

The BJP had then won 14 mayoral posts, as well as 58 chairpersons in nagar palikas and 94 in nagar panchayats.

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