Mayawati begins shortlisting candidates for 2024 polls

Mayawati held a meeting with party leaders regarding selection of candidates for Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and also Jharkhand.

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati has started shortlisting candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Apprehending that the Lok Sabha elections may be preponed, Mayawati held a meeting with party leaders regarding selection of candidates for Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and also Jharkhand.

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In a tweet, the BSP president said that the party is working towards expanding its reach among the masses and alongside strengthening its organisational structure. The party has begun shortlisting candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, the BSP chief said.

Mayawati has asked party leaders to refrain from extravagant campaigns and instead focus on holding cadre camps and small public meetings to expand the party’s outreach in rural pockets and among the ‘Sarv samaj’ or people from different communities.

In a state-level meeting held in Lucknow on August 23, the BSP had decided that cadre camps would form a key part of the strategy to strengthen its base at the grassroots in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The party’s graph in the state, where it formed the government four times, has been sliding since 2012. The emphasis, therefore, is to win back its core voters, Dalits, who have moved towards other parties over the years.

Sources said BSP leaders have been asked to ensure the presence of at least 500 Dalits in every cadre camp. These camps serve to energise the existing force of the party’s foot soldiers and add new cadres by reinforcing the party’s ideology to them. The focus is also on inducting more youths into the party.