BSP to launch 'Behan Ji' app on January 15 made on the lines of 'NaMo' app, organise public meetings in all 75 UP districts

BSP chief Mayawati/File pic

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will organise public meetings in all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh on January 15 to take stock of the preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The party also plans to launch the 'Behan Ji' app on the occasion of party president Mayawati's birthday (January 15). The party intends to connect youth workers with this app, made on the lines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'NaMo' app.

BSP's UP unit chief Vishwanath Pal told PTI on Sunday, "This time on behen Mayawati's birthday, the party is organising public meetings in all 75 districts of the state. In these public meetings, the people of the state will be given information about the various public welfare schemes of the BSP." He said that the party is fully prepared for the Lok Sabha elections to be held in the next two-three months and is organising these public meetings to energise its workers for the elections.

When asked whether the party would make any electoral understanding with the 'INDIA' bloc for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Pal said, "Only behen ji (Mayawati) will take any decision in this regard. We are just workers. All the decisions in the party are taken by behen ji."

On a question that Mayawati had earlier said she would contest the Lok Sabha elections alone, Pal said, "If our leader has said that our party will contest the elections alone, then all of us party workers will contest the elections alone with full strength and will win."

The BSP's state unit president claimed the party is fully prepared to contest elections on all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state. BSP chief Mayawati had announced in July last year that her party would contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections alone. She had also criticised the NDA as well as the 'INDIA' bloc and alleged that none of them were "friendly" to Dalits and oppressed classes.

Meanwhile, sources said the party will also hold a show of strength at district levels on Mayawati's birthday. In this, the popularity of the contenders for the Lok Sabha constituencies will be assessed based on their ability to gather crowds. The BSP and the Samajwadi Party (SP) had formed an alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The BSP was the bigger gainer with 10 seats, while Akhilesh Yadav's SP had won five seats.

On being asked whether he would attend the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony to be held at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, Pal said, "I was born in Ayodhya and a resident of that place. Since childhood, my mother used to take me in her lap and go to the Ram Janmabhoomi for 'darshan'. "Therefore, it is useless for you to ask me whether I will go to 'Pran Pratistha' or not. When I stay in Ayodhya, I will go for 'darshan' whenever I feel like." He said that he is against any kind of politics being done on the Ram Temple issue. He said no political party should do politics of religion.

A senior party leader said that Akash Anand, Mayawati's nephew, has become "very active" after she declared him as her successor. According to sources, Akash can get the 'Behan Ji' app launched by Mayawati on January 15. The objective of this app will be to connect such youths with the party, who agree with the party's ideology but do not know much about its policies.

At present, the BSP has only one MLA in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

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