Mayawati inducts son of Jamat-e-Ulema chief into BSP

In an apparent bid to appease minority voters ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, BSP chief Mayawati on Saturday, inducted a prominent leader of the Jamat-e-Ulema into her party.

Mehdood Madani, son of Jamat-e-Ulema Hind national president, Asad Madani, joined BSP in the presence of Mayawati here.

The Jamat-e-Ulema Hind has a good hold on the Islamic seminary in Deoband. Mehdood's brother Mehmud Madani is a RLD leader and the two siblings have been reportedly at loggerheads for the past few years.

Mehdood's shift to BSP is being read as Mayawati's bid to woo Muslims ahead of elections. Along with Brahmins and upper castes, BSP has tried to win over Muslims under its social engineering formula.

One of Mayawati's close confidants, Naseemuddin Siddiqui, has been a prominent face of the party since the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections of 2007.