Mayawati replaces Mukhtar Ansari as BSP candidate in UP polls, says 'Babhubalis' have no place in party

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Friday said that no mafia or 'bahubali' will get the party ticket while announcing that the party will field its state president Bhim Rajbhar from Mau Assembly constituency in place of Mukhtar Ansari in the state Assembly elections that are due to next year.

"In upcoming assembly polls, the BSP's effort will be not to field 'bahubali' and mafia elements. So, the name of Bhim Rajbhar, the BSP UP president, has been finalised from the Mau assembly seat in place of Mukhtar Ansari," she said in a tweet in Hindi.

Mayawati's announcement comes weeks after Mukhtar Ansari's brother Sigbatullah Ansari joined the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party.

She also issued an appeal to the party in charge to take special care while selecting the party candidates so that if the government is formed there should be no problem in taking strict action against such elements.

"The decision has been taken in order to meet people's criteria and meet their expectations and so I appeal to the party in charge to take special care while selecting the party's candidates so that if the government is formed, there is no problem in taking action against such elements," Mayawati said in another tweet.

"BSP's resolve is to change UP's image by rule of law so that not only the state and the country, but every child says that the government should be like Behan ji's 'Sarvajan Hitay and Sarvajan Sukhay' and the BSP does what it says and it is also the true identity of the party," said Mayawati.

The former gangster-turned-politician is currently lodged in Uttar Pradesh's Banda jail.

Ansari, the legislator from Mau in eastern Uttar Pradesh, is facing 52 cases in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere, and 15 of them are in the trial stage.

(ANI)

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