Twitter
Advertisement

Bahujan Samaj Party to field women candidates in over half of Assembly seats in Maharashtra

During the Lok Sabha elections, like in Uttar Pradesh, the BSP had allied with the SP in Maharashtra.

Latest News
article-main
Pic for representation
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

It may be opposed to the Bill that reserves a third of the seats in Lok Sabha and state legislature for women, but the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is nevertheless planning to nominate women in around half of the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra.

"We are planning to give priority to women in nominations and try to field at least 50% women candidates, instead of 33% (as envisaged in the long-pending Women's Reservation Bill)," said BSP Maharashtra unit chief Suresh Sakhare. He added that the BSP was planning to contest all 288 seats in the state and had begun interviews to select nominees.

"The BSP does not oppose the 33% reservation for women, but we are seeking a quota within a quota for women from categories such as scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST) and other backward castes (OBCs)," said Sakhare. In 2010, Rajya Sabha had approved the Women's Reservation Bill, but the legislation has been waiting for approval from the lower house for the past nine years.

Sakhare claimed that the BSP would employ a 'social engineering' model in the Maharashtra polls by fielding candidates from communities which had a strong presence in those seats. "We will field candidates from all castes and religions. The BSP will not ally with any political party but strike social alliances," he explained, adding that even upper castes like Brahmins would be nominated by the party.

During the Lok Sabha elections, like in Uttar Pradesh, the BSP had allied with the SP in Maharashtra. However, the alliance had come a cropper, despite their attempts to corner the votes of Muslim, who form around 10.6% of Maharashtra's population, and the Scheduled Castes (SCs), including Buddhist Dalits, who are among the most socially and politically organised (around 14%).

The BSP, whose founder Kanshiram, began his political activism from Pune, has a committed vote base in most constituencies. However, it has drawn a blank in the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in spite of a committed cadre base and a transferable share of votes, especially in Vidarbha. One reason for this is that the party lacks strong local leadership, especially among the Buddhist Dalits, and was unable to shake the image of being a north Indian party. In the 2014 assembly elections, the BSP's Kishore Gajbhiye was at number two in the Nagpur North constituency, which was represented by then Congress minister Nitin Raut.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement