Mayawati has change of heart, won’t deny criminals ticket

BSP chief Mayawati took many by surprise when she announced last week that all party MLAs would be repeated as candidates in the 2012 assembly election.

“Opposition leaders are spreading canards through the media that MLAs with criminal records will be dropped,” she said at a meeting of party leaders at her official residence. “No BSP MLA will be denied ticket,” she asserted.

Mayawati came up with an ingenious reason for giving tickets to criminal MLAs. “Criminal background of such MLAs can be overlooked as they have not committed crime after joining BSP… they will neither be expelled from the party nor denied ticket,” she said, drawing a round of applause from the meeting.

Mayawati has faced embarrassment on several occasions due to the presence of criminals in her party. She had announced recently that criminal elements would be weeded out from BSP.

However, she seems to have had a change of heart after reports claimed  many MLAs, fearing stringent action and denial of ticket, were planning to desert the party.

At the meeting, Mayawati also announced another term in Rajya Sabha for BSP general secretary and confidant Satish Chandra Misra.

The other BSP candidates for the biennial election are Ambeth Rajan (already in Rajya Sabha), Jugal Kishore, Salem Ansari, SP Singh Baghel, Narendra Kashyap and Rajpal Saini.

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister also announced eight candidates, including herself, for the biennial legislative council election.