Indian Poll: 'BSP to campaign old-fashioned way'

 Mayavati

Lucknow, Mar 12 (PTI) The Bhaujan Samaj Party is sticking to old-fashioned electioneering, shunning fancy raths and holograms, and keeping public relations companies that offer such high-tech options at bay, a party leader said.

Instead, the party will bank on public meetings by supremo Mayawati and booth-level campaigning by its workers.

In a seat-sharing pact with the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal in Uttar Pradesh, the party will contest from 38 constituencies in the state in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

A party leader said some public relations agencies had approached the BSP office here, hoping to make presentations before Mayawati.

But they were told no' as the party believes in the traditional mode of campaigning," the senior BSP leader said.

Mayawati launched her Twitter account only on February 6.

Party leaders also said instructions have been issued on the layout of election hoardings and banners.

The candidate's photo should not be bigger than those of the party founder Kanshi Ram or Mayawati.

Kanshi Ram's photo or a picture of the BSP poll symbol, the elephant, should be put next to Mayawati's on the poster, potential candidates have been advised.

The top portion of the banner or the poster should have the photographs of eminent personalities of the `bahujan samaj'. The bottom portion will have the photograph of the person putting up the poster," a party leader said.

The posters would be brought out only after getting permission from the party.

Among the UP seats the BSP is contesting are Saharanpur, Bijnor, Amroha, Meerut, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Shahjahanpur, Sitapur, Sultanpur, Farrukhbad, Akbarpur, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Fatehpur, Ambedkarnagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar and Deoria.