Appealing to party workers to treat Bahujan Samaj Party's victory in Uttar Pradesh assembly elections as her birthday gift, Chief Minister and party supremo Mayawati on Sunday released a list of candidates for all 403 seats in the state.
"The party people will bring BSP back to power with full majority and with higher number of seats than last election. This would their real valuable gift of my birthday," she said on her 56th birthday.
Mayawati said that, honouring the concept of equality, tickets have been given to all sections of society.
"Tickets have been given to 88 SC candidates, 113 OBC, 85 religious minorities, especially Muslims, 117 upper caste, of which 74 are Brahmins and 33 Chattriyas," she said.
The BSP was contesting on its own in the assembly elections of UP, Punjab and Uttarakhand, she said.
"I hope that the party will perform well in these three states," she said.
Mayawati said that while selecting candidates attention was paid that they had a clean image, were dedicated to the BSP movement and gave attention to the development of their respective areas.
"Special attention was given as, in the last assembly elections, a number of wrong people from other parties managed to get the ticket of our party," she claimed.
After winning elections, such people, instead of attending to the development of their areas and interest of the people, got involved in wrong activities out of personal interest and made all efforts to malign the image of the party and the government, she claimed.
"Such people also spoilt old cadre of the party, due to which stern action has to be taken against such ministers and MLAs. Due to this reason they were also denied ticket," she said.
Mayawati said that the party was of the view that the BSP movement could not progress in the right direction by keeping such MLAs and ministers.
"This time giving priority to the movement, tickets have been given accordingly so that after winning election candidates should give priority to development of their respective areas and interests of the people," she said.
The BSP supremo said that lists of candidates for Punjab and Uttarakhand have been issued by the respective state committees.
She also released the seventh part of her book, "A Travelogue of My Struggle-Ridden Life and BSP Movement" along with a CD of election related songs and her appeal.
The book was an account of challenges faced by the party and steps taken during the past year, she said.
