Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) national coordinator Akash Anand on Saturday kicked off his Lok Sabha election campaign from the Nagina parliamentary seat in western Uttar Pradesh. Without naming him, Mr. Anand targeted Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad for “misleading Dalit youths” and ruining their careers by involving them in protests that led to cases being registered against them.
Mr. Anand said the BSP believed in “positive politics” based on justice for marginalised sections whereas some were indulging in “negative politics”. Mr. Azad is contesting from Nagina as a candidate of the Azad Samaj Party (ASP), which he founded.
“Some people take our people out on the streets for protest, but after fulfilling their personal aim, they renounce you. They mislead people, get cases registered on you and run away. Such negative politics need to be rejected,” Mr. Anand said, without naming Mr. Azad, at an election rally in the Hindu College here.
He claimed the Bhim Army founder had tried hard to secure a seat in the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Congress led Opposition INDIA bloc but failed. “He wanted to join the INDIA alliance so that he could get a seat for himself, but his luck is so bad, that attempt failed. Such people are roaming homeless asking you (voters) to give only one seat. But be aware of such elements who weaken our struggle for marginalised sections,” Mr. Anand, the ‘heir apparent’ of BSP president Mayawati.
Mr. Anand, who was addressing the rally in support of the BSP’s candidate from Nagina, Surendra Pal, expressed gratitude to supporters for joining the event in large numbers. “Thanks to all the supporters, workers and in-charges of the BSP. The love, support and cooperation that you all have shown in Nagina Lok Sabha today is the strength of the BSP family. The BSP candidate Shri Surendra Pal-ji has to be sent to the Lok Sabha by electing him with a huge margin,” he said.
Nagina, a Scheduled Caste reserved constituency, is becoming an electoral battlefield with contenders from the Dalit political space trying to project themselves as leaders of the community amid the eroding electoral base of the BSP, a Dalit-centric party. With a sizeable Dalit electorate, a large part of Bijnor district comes under the Nagina constituency following delimitation in 2008.
BSP president Mayawati, who served four times as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, made her parliamentary debut from Bijnor in 1989. In 2019, the BSP’s candidate Girish Chandra won the seat by a margin of over 1,67,000 votes. In the 2024 election, apart from Mr. Azad and the BSP’s Surendra Pal, the BJP is fielding Om Kumar, whereas the SP’s nominee is Manoj Kumar.
