Rajnath says high turnout indicates people's anger at BSP regime
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Sunday said her Bahujan Samaj Party would win more seats now than in 2007, pointing to the response to her rallies.
In 2007, the party bagged 206 seats.
Ms. Mayawati was speaking to journalists after voting at the Lucknow Montessori Intermediate College in the fourth phase of the Assembly elections.
Ms. Mayawati reached the polling station at noon and cast her vote at booth number 235. She was accompanied by party general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Satish Chandra Mishra and Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh. Mr. Mishra and the Cabinet Secretary also voted at the same centre, though at different booths.
Ms. Mayawati then left for rallies at Hamirpur and Firozabad, where voting will take place on February 23 in the fifth phase.
Prior to Ms. Mayawati's arrival, Governor B.L. Joshi voted at the college around 8.45 a.m.
Surprisingly, the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Uma Bharti, who is the BJP candidate for Charkhari in Mahoba district — where polling will be held on February 23 — voted at the Navyug Kanya Intermediate College in Rajendra Nagar here. That she had enrolled herself as a voter in the Lucknow Central Assembly constituency was kept a secret by the BJP.
Incidentally, Kalraj Mishra, BJP's ‘Brahmin face,' is contesting from Lucknow East.
Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Pradesh Congress Committee president and party candidate for Lucknow Cantonment, exercised her franchise at Montessori College shortly after voting began at 7 a.m.
The former Chief Minister and BJP leader, Rajnath Singh, voted at the PWD polling centre and Mr. Kalraj Mishra cast the ballot at the Lucknow Nagar Nigam School.
As for the high turnout in the elections, Mr. Singh said this highlighted the people's anger at the Mayawati regime.
Ms. Bharti was to have voted around 8.45 a.m., but her arrival was delayed because the helicopter could not take off on time at Charkhari. She reached Navyug College at 11 a.m. and voted for the first time in Uttar Pradesh.
Keywords: U.P. Assembly Election, Assembly Elections 2012, Mayawati
There's no doubt BSP will win this elections. Just would like to wait and watch by what margin.
Mayawatiji is the only person in this world who has still kept alive the ideology of the architect of the Indian constitution.
Lots and Lots of best wishes & blessings for her.
She has her solid vote bank which is going to stand by her come what may.
In view of this, there is substance in her claim and none need think that her return is not possible.
Congress is receiving media and other coverage no doubt but success is doubtful.
At times when the media in general has been giving disproportionate
coverage to Gandhi family's election campaign in UP in spite of their
all round failure in governance at the Centre, The Hindu is one of the
exceptions in giving a balanced picture.
It seems that Mayawati's is still invincible and garners support across
the social spectrum. A picture that is missing in the rest of the media.
i think bsp is going to make clean sweep in the on going assmbely election by winning more then 250 seats. Best of luck madam mayawati ji.
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