UP chief minister Mayawati has finally put her legislators on the chopping block. After declaring that all sitting BSP MLAs would be re-nominated for the next Assembly elections, Ms Mayawati has started weeding out the “deadwood” from the party.
A large number of BSP legislators have been informed that they would not be required to seek re-election on the party’s symbol. These mainly include legislators who have either figured in criminal cases or have lost the faith of the people.
According to party sources, the chief minister will be seeking fresh candidates for nearly 65 per cent Assembly seats which means that nearly 140 MLAs may lose their tickets for the 2012 elections. The chief minister is making her assessment on the basis of feedback received from party coordinators and the parameters include the public image of the MLA, his reputation in the constituency, work done by him and the caste equations in the region.
Among those who have been dropped from the BSP list for the 2012 elections is Guddu Pandit who was recently jailed for abducting voters in the panchayat polls. Guddu Pandit had won the last election from Dibai and he is now being replaced with energy minister Ramvir Upadhyay’s younger brother.
Brijesh Misra Saurabh, who represents the Garwara Assembly seat, is another MLA who has been put on the chopping block for being “over-ambitious”.
Rajesh Tripathi, the minister who resigned in December after being indicted by the Lok Ayukt, is also set to lose his ticket from Chillupar Assembly segment. Former minister and erstwhile mafia don Hari Shankar Tiwari is likely to replace him.
BSP MLA Shekhar Tiwari, who hit the headlines for lynching a PWD engineer in 2008, is another one whose name has been struck off the BSP list.
Anand Sen Yadav, presently in jail on charges of abduction and murder of his pregnant girlfriend, no longer figures in the BSP list. UP minister for higher education Rakesh Dhar Tripathi and UP minister for secondary education Ranganath Misra are also likely to be dropped. Both are facing charges of corruption which are being investigated by the Lok Ayukt.
Purshottam Naresh Dwiwedi, accused of raping a minor girl in Banda, is another MLA who has lost the ticket.
A number of senior party leaders have also been asked to change their constituencies. These include Anant Kumar Misra, health minister, who will now be contesting the Lucknow north seat instead of his Farukkhabad seat.
Urban development minister Nakul Duibey will shift to the Bakshi Ka Talab seat.
BSP MLA Jitendra Singh Babloo, an accused in the burning of UPCC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi’s house, will not be contesting the Assembly elections since he has been asked to prepare for the Lok Sabha elections.
BSP MP Brijesh Pathak’s wife, Namrata Pathak, will contest the Unnao seat.
“The list of changes could grow longer because Ms Mayawati is closely monitoring the activities of the MLAs as well as the public perception. The stress is on performance and winnability,” said a BSP functionary.