Rahul fallout: Maya appoints new team in Aligarh

On Monday,Mayawati held a meeting with her party’s top functionaries,including zonal coordinators,at her official residence in Lucknow.

In the three-hour meeting,Mayawati directed party functionaries to raise the potential issues of price rise and the alleged discriminatory attitude of the Centre towards the state to counter the Congress at the ground level,besides highlighting the BSP government’s achievements.

Sources said the new team,headed by party coordinator Sunil Chitore,would handle party affairs in two divisions — Aligarh and Bareilly. The other members are Raj Kumar Gautam and Mahendra Singh,BSP MLA from Kol seat of Aligarh.

A BSP release,however,only confirms “some changes” in the party organisation but remains silent on the deployment of new team in Aligarh.

“The CM was unhappy with the work of K K Gautam. So,she took a decision to remove Aligarh from his charge,” a source in the BSP said. The source said Chitore was associated with the party affairs in two divisions — Moradabad and Bareilly,adding: “Now he has nothing to do with Moradabad. He will handle Aligarh and Bareilly.”.

Bareilly,Moradabad,Saharanpur and Meerut divisions are under the charge of party coordinator and Rajya Sabha member Munkad Ali but the latest change will not affect his clout,the source said. “He will continue to oversee party works in all the divisions he currently handles.”

Mayawati’s decision to deploy a separate team in Aligarh reflects her concern to keep her Dalit vote-bank intact the in the area.

“Rahul’s Kisan Mahapanchayat gave indications about the tilt of minority voters towards the Congress. It is possible a section of Dalit voters might start looking at the Congress as an option in future,” the source explained.

Party sources also said the CM dropped hints to accommodate Parliamentary Affair Minister Lalji Verma in the party organisation.

“It is almost decided that Verma would be tasked to assist party coordinator and Rajya Sabha member Yugul Kishore in eastern UP. Verma might be given the task of wooing OBC votes in view of the special importance given to Union minister Beni Prasad Verma by the Congress in recent times,” the source said.