Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has asked supporters to either stay away from the bypoll to the Ghosi Assembly seat or press the NOTA (none of the above) button on the EVM during voting on Tuesday.
“It is a policy decision of the party that our voters wouldn’t cast their vote in Ghosi bypoll on September 5. If at all any of them reach the booth, then they have to push the NOTA button,” BSP state president Vishwanath Pal told reporters in Lucknow on Monday.
“We boycott an election, which is clearly a mockery of the Constitution of India and the anti-defection law. Those who don’t respect Indian democracy resign from a party and seek re-election from another party for some undue gains,” he added.
He claimed that there are 90,000 Dalit voters out of the total 4.40 lakh electors in the constituency and the BSP’s decision would have its impact on the result to be announced on September 8.
The election was necessitated in Ghosi in Mau district following the resignation of Samajwadi Party MLA Dara Singh Chauhan, who joined the BJP. While Chauhan is seeking re-election on a BJP ticket, the Samajwadi Party has fielded Sudhakar Singh.
Chauhan has the support of the Congress and the Rashtriya Lok Dal, which belong to the INDIA bloc.
