One person was detained in connection with the release of fake Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidates' list in the state capital. The list was shared on social media on Monday evening and the same and the same was dismissed by the party as fake. The list soon went viral forcing the BSP to issue a clarification. The fake list contained names of BSP leaders on 38 seats with Mayawati contesting from Saharanpur seat.
Earlier, it was reported that Mayawati would be releasing the candidates' list of the BSP on her birthday but the same was put on hold following the controversy. Police said investigation was in progress. However, it refused to reveal the identity of the detained person. The fake list was sent out in the name of BSP chief Mayawati and had the signature of party state president RS Kushwaha. Printed on a BSP letter pad and dated January 13, 2019, the list looked real.
To contain the fuelling rumour, Kushwaha issued a clarification on Monday evening and blamed the Opposition parties for giving rise to such fake stories. He claimed that the Opposition was feeling the heat due to the SP-BSP alliance, hence circulating such messages on social media.
The BSP filed an FIR in connection with the case at Gautampalli police station in Lucknow. The police registered a case under Sections 419,468,469,470 and 471 IPC and started investigating the matter. Kushwaha said that circulating fake messages and using someone's signature was a criminal offence and warned of action against the culprits. The SP-BSP, as per the alliance announced by Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav, will contest the Lok Sabha polls on 38 seats each in Uttar Pradesh. Two of the 80 seats have been allotted for smaller alliance partners. Though the two parties have ditched the Congress, Akhilesh and Mayawati said that they would not field any candidate in Gandhi bastions --- Amethi and Rae Bareli.