Quota rules bypassed to help BJP: Mayawati

A day after UP State Election Commission (SEC) announced the schedule for urban local body polls in the state, BSP chief Mayawati on Monday claimed that rules have been bypassed in reserving seats for OBCs, SCs and STs with an objective to help BJP, giving the ruling party an advantage in next year’s Lok Sabha polls, too.

“People belonging to SC, ST, OBC (categories) and women are not completely satisfied with the quota arrangements made for them in the urban local body polls because the rules have been bypassed in reserving seats for these sections. This proves BJP is trying to target its own political interests at every level so that it gets an advantage in the General Election,” Mayawati told the media.

Mayawati also said that BSP will not field jailed gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s wife Shaista Parveen or anyone from their family as candidate for Prayagraj mayor in the coming urban polls. She said the situation has changed in Prayagraj in view of the new facts that surfaced in connection with Umesh Pal’s murder and because Parveen is absconding after her name surfaced in the case.

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“In this situation, our party will not give a ticket to Atiq’s wife and any other member of their family from there,” she said.

Asked whether Parveen will be expelled from the party, Mayawati said, “A decision will be taken soon…our party respects the law. It is not above it.”