It is still a year to go for the next Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh but major political parties in the state have already slipped into the election mode.
The Bahujan Samaj Party has informally announced candidates for over 325 seats while the Samajwadi Party has officially announced candidates for 212 seats.
The BSP is re-assessing the performance of its candidates and changes are being initiated in the list. “By the end of June, we will finalise the list and even declare it officially,” said a BSP functionary.
The Samajwadi Party plans to announce all candidates by the end of May. “An early announcement of candidates will help us check infighting or internal sabotage and also give the candidate time to plan his campaign,” said a party leader. The BJP is also striving to announce names of candidates on at least 200 seats by the end of next month while the Congress has assured that it will release its list by the end of May.
The parties have also designed their campaigns for the next UP Assembly elections.
The BSP is gearing up to highlight its achievements and its ability to cater to all sections of society through limited resources. The party’s campaign, rather a major portion of the campaign, will focus on the lack of cooperation by the central government.
“If we have been found lacking in any area, it is the Congress-led UPA government which is to be blamed. The Congress made sure that the BSP government did not get adequate financial resources needed to speed up development,” said the party functionary.
The Samajwadi Party, on the other hand, will focus on corruption and increase in crime in the Mayawati government and will press for change. The party is positioning itself as the only viable political alternative in UP.