UP Election Bullet: BJP Allies Want More Seats; SP Maurya May Quit

Here’s a roundup of all that’s happening in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.

1. BJP Allies Demand More Seats, Party Searching for Winning Formula

The BJP’s second list of candidates for Uttar Pradesh assembly election is stuck following a tug of war between allies, turncoats throwing tantrums and a lack of consensus on seats sought by veterans for their children.

Even after several rounds of meetings, the Bharatiya Janata Party has not been able to decide the number of seats it will allocate to two of its allies – Apna Dal of Union Minister Anupriya Patel and Bharatiya Samajwadi Party of Om Prakash Rajbhar.

(Source: Hindustan Times)

2. Not Happy With Ticket Distribution, Swami Prasad Maurya May Leave BJP

Swami Prasad Maurya on Wednesday said that he is unhappy with the Bharatiya Janata Party over distribution of tickets and will decide on party affiliation after the candidates’ list is announced, sources said.

Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls among the five assembly polls due this year has seen 15 MLAs of the BSP, five of the Congress, three of the ruling Samajwadi Party and two of the Rashtriya Lok Dal switching over to the BJP.

(Source: Financial Express)

Also Read: Is BJP Rebranding Itself by Poaching BSP Leaders Such as Maurya?

3. Akhilesh Revokes Expulsion of Leaders Sacked by Shivpal Yadav

In his first major decision after taking over as national Samajwadi Party President, Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday revoked suspension of five MLCs and youth leaders, who were expelled by former state SP chief Shivpal Yadav in September last year. Orders revoking their suspension were issued by state SP chief Naresh Uttam in Lucknow on Wednesday.

The leaders include MLCs Anand Bhadauria, Sunil Yadav, Sanjay Lathar, Arvind Yadav and Udaivir Singh.

(Source: Pioneer)

Also Read: Did Akhilesh Mastermind Expulsion Drama to Pressurise Mulayam?

4. Before Going Official, SP & Congress Bargain Hard

Over 24 hours after leaders of the Congress and the Samajwadi Party said that they would fight the UP assembly polls together, hard negotiations over seat-sharing between the two parties and Ajit Singh’s RLD have delayed formal announcement of the alliance.

AICC General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad, who till Tuesday was confident of working out the seat-sharing arrangement in the next 48 hours, on Wednesday said it could “even take 100 hours”.

(Source: Indian Express)

5. BJP’s Sangeet Som Booked for Showing Riot Clips to Voters

Controversial BJP leader Sangeet Som, accused of fuelling the 2014 Muzaffarnagar riots, was booked on Wednesday for allegedly violating the poll code. He was accused of screening a documentary that contained parts of his speech related to the Dadri lynching and his arrest earlier.

Read more on The Quint

6. Eye on 'Mahagathbandhan', Cong Abandons 'UP Behaal' Slogan

Sensing possibilities of a Bihar-like ‘Mahagathbandhan’ in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress seems to have put its ‘UP Behaal’ slogan on the back-burner. The ruling Samajwadi Party and the Congress now seem to be putting their heads together over the adopted agenda of ‘secularism’.

Discussions between the Nationalist Congress Party and the Janata Dal (United) are also in their last stages. The only thing required now is for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to give his nod of approval.

(Source: Jansatta)

7. BJP’s Game Plan for UP: The ‘Kalyan’ Formula

To form a government in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP seems to be falling back on an old tried-and-tested formula by Kalyan Singh in 1991. The trick was to appease the non-Jatav and non-Yadav OBCs in the vote bank.

The party’s list of 149 candidates is a reflection of this strategy. If 65 OBCS have won the ticket, 26 Dalits have been given tickets on reserved seats – all non-Jatavs.

(Source: livehindustan.com)

8. Twice a Minster in UP, but Still No Home of His Own

Despite being a legislator four times and being a minister twice, Jamuna Prasad Bose doesn’t have a home of his own. The 92-year-old lives in a rented home and his upright dedication as a politician has been appreciated.

In 1938, when Subhash Chandra Bose became president of the Tripura Congress, his friends began to call Jamuna Prasad ‘Bose’.

(Source: livehindustan.com)