The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is preparing for a huge rally in the state capital to mark the 10th death anniversary of founder Kanshi Ram on October 9.
BSP president and former CM Mayawati will address the congregation at Manyawar Kanshi Ram Memorial constructed on the Old Jail premises. With rival parties questioning her hold over the Dalits and trying various means to woo them aheadof the assembly polls, Mayawati has stressed to leaders on ensuring maximum attendance at the rally.
BSP sources confirmed that to ensure a crowd of over 5 lakh, around 1000 supporters from each of the 403 Assembly segments in UP have been summoned to join the programme.
"The lucknow rally will thus be a consolidated show of BSP strength. The party focus will be on drawing people from all castes and communities with focus on Dalits, Muslims and Brahmins. The homework on winning formula with rainbow coalition of three communities will give the party a decisive edge," said a BSP co-ordinator from west UP.
The lucknow rally comes a month after the ones in Agra, Azamgarh, Saharanpur and Allahabad. A leader said that Mayawati has already reached out to the electorate in 220 Assembly segments through the four rallies.
The BSP has booked 18 special trains to ferry party workers for the rally. Of these, 16 will come from west UP, while two have been booked from east UP's Ballia district.
Sources further disclosed that Mayawati's deputy and west UP in-charge Naseemuddin Siddiqui has booked six trains from Meerut division, four from Saharanpur division, four from Moradabad division and two from Muzaffarnagar.
likewise, BSP MlA Uma Shankar Singh has booked two trains from Ballia. One train has been booked from his Assembly constituency of Rasra in Ballia.
Sources said that each train will have 20 coaches - sleeper and general - to ferry around 5,000 supporters. This way, around 1 lakh BSP workers will come by trains which will have no halts and will arrive in lucknow on the evening ofOctober 8. The workers will be ferried back to their home districts after the rally is over.
"There is huge enthusiasm among party workers and supporters to attend the lucknow rally. We were falling short of transport and therefore decided to book trains," said Umashanker Singh in Ballia on Thursday.
Sources said that Mayawati has also directed party candidates to arrange buses to bring in supporters from their respective constituencies. A senior BSP leader said that the party aims to bring in at least 5 lakh workers and if that happens, it would be one of the biggest rallies by Mayawati.