Delhi polls: BSP to contest on all 70 seats

Lucknow: Kicking off election campaign for the upcoming Delhi Vidhan Sabha polls, BSP president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati today announced that her party would field candidates on all the 70 seats.

"I am starting the election campaign for the Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections today... our party would contest all the 70 seats on our own", Mayawati told newpersons here.

The BSP supremo, who is celebrating her 59th birthday today as 'People's Welfare Day', said after making promises of "achchey din" in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and its central government would now offer allurements and dreams to mislead the people of Delhi.

"But Dalits, backward castes and others should know that central government, without making arrangement of quotas in the private sector, have started giving important works to the private sector belonging to capitalists, resulting in these sections getting very little benefit of reservation," she said.

Training her guns at Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, Mayawati said, referring to the issue of reservation, "He has gone a step ahead of BJP and is the votary of ending reservation and has also given statements in this direction."

With BJP and AAP at the helm, the minorities, including poor Muslims as well as poor among the upper castes, would not get their rightful place in education and jobs, Mayawati said.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also lashed out the Congress for its "inconsistency" on addressing issues and appealed to the people of Delhi to elect new government "intelligently".

"Congress too has had an inconsistent attitude on these issues. I appeal to the harassed and unhappy people of Delhi on my birthday to decide on their votes intelligently", she said and asked dalits and backwards not to fall prey to the drama of BJP, AAP and Congress.

The Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) election in Delhi, touted as a direct contest between BJP and AAP, will be held on February 7.

Counting of votes for the election to the 70-member Assembly will be held on February 10, ahead of the expiry President's Rule which was imposed in the capital on February 15, last year.