Spurned by the new dispensation of Samajwadi Party (read Akhilesh), desperate efforts by Ansari brothers – Afzal and Mokhtar, on being fielded by Bahujan Samaj Party has so far hit a road block, with image-conscious BSP chief Mayawati refusing to give an audienced to the duo, so far.
The Ansari brothers suffered major embarrassment after the change in guard in the SP as they were denied tickets in the Assembly polls.
Sources in the BSP confirmed that the delay was deliberate as senior leaders were weighing political options. The refrain is that if the BSP gives five seats to Qaumi Ekta Dal (QED), it could help in garnering Muslim votes in some east UP districts. The flip side remains that if the BSP accomodates the Ansaris, then it runs the risk of facing a fierce attack by rival parties of patronising criminals. The diatreivbe is set to be more pronounced from the Samajwadi Party as its president and CM Akhilesh Yadav had categorically refused to accomodate the Ansari brothers.
With the SP-Congress marriage of conveninece adding a new realignment to eastern UP, the BSP too is keen on redefining it’s strategy to wrest Muslim votes and hence the with QED were initiated by some top BSP leaders.
The BSP is also in touch with Janvadi Party Socialists aiming to strengthen the Dalit-Muslim combine.
BSP sources claimed that the Ansaris were aware that Akhilesh would not favour their candidature so they initially offered to get Congress support and contest polls. But when both the SP and Congress turned them down, they contacted BSP leaders urging that QED be given only five tickets.
While the BSP cadre tried to cash in on the opportunity and ally with the QED, party boss Mayawati had reservations as she did not want her party’s image to be sullied especially for aligning with people with criminal antecedents.
So far none of the top BSP leaders have been abkle to convince Mayawati to make room for the criminal-turned-politician and his ilk even as some over-enthusiastic leaders claimed that an announcement on Ansaris being fileded from Ghosi, Mau and Mohammadabad would be done by the wekend.
Mokhtar Ansari is presently lodged in Agra jail and is the sitting legislator from Mau. Mokhtar has been in BSP before and even contested on a ticket from Varanasi seat in 2009 lok Sabha polls.
But to field him and his aides, Mayawati will have to withdraw three BSP candidates already fielded from for these seats in east UP - a propsoition which Mayawati may not be keen to give in to.