The Mayawati government on Friday decided to hold the local bodies’ elections without party symbols.
A formal decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the state Cabinet here on Friday.
While chief minister Mayawati had already expressed her inclination to alter the traditional practice of holding elections on party lines, a formal decision was taken by the state cabinet Friday.
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The move will enable anyone to try his luck in the elections and he does not have to be at the mercy of any political party. This will make the system more democratic and people friendly,” said state president Swami Prasad Maurya in a statement.
The Opposition, meanwhile, is up in arms against the amendment and the Samajwadi Party has threatened to challenge the same in court.
“This is an undemocratic decision and we are not going to take it lying down. We will go to court to restore the role of political parties in the local bodies’ elections,” state SP president Akhilesh Singh Yadav told reporters.
The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress have also opposed the move and have warned the state government that they would take to the streets if the decision was not immediately withdrawn.
“We will stage statewide demonstrations and will not allow the Mayawati administration to get away with this mischief,” said BJP MP Lalji Tandon while UPCC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi said that the decision reflected the BSP’s awareness of its own weakness in the polls.