Your Photo Shouldn’t be Bigger Than Mayawati's: BSP Ticket Seekers Given Publicity Dictum

Lucknow: Ticket aspirants and probable candidates along with workers of Bahujan Samaj Party have been directed not to put a bigger picture of themselves than the picture of BSP Chief Mayawati on hoardings, banners and other publicity materials. The instructions were given to the party leaders on Tuesday by their zonal coordinators.

As per information, directives were given to BSP leaders and probable candidates that their own pictures should be placed in the bottom corner of the hoarding. Instructions have also been allegedly given to strictly carry pictures of Dalit icons and the party symbol on all publicity material.

BSP Zonal coordinator and MLC Bhimrao Ambedkar told party workers “As we all know and our leaders should also understand that ‘Behen Ji’ is considered as Messiah of Dalits and there is no bigger Dalit leader in the country than her. So, all the hoardings, banners should have a bigger picture of her.”

Ambedkar gave the directive at a party meeting held in Lucknow on Tuesday. He has instructed party leaders to immediately remove banners that do not follow the said instructions. Leaders who violate the instructions will be expelled from the party, he added.

“If a BSP leader wants to put hoardings, he will first have to give an application with the sample of the creative at the BSP state unit office in Lucknow. Following this, which approval will be given and only approved creatives will be used for campaigning purpose,” BR Ambedkar allegedly told his party leaders on Tuesday.

Apart from this, instructions were also allegedly given to the BSP leaders and workers to work in harmony with their counterparts from Samajwadi party as well. In her meeting with office bearers and coordinators on Sunday, the BSP Chief had expressed her concern over differences between SP and BSP workers in the field.

As per sources in BSP, these instructions have been given in an attempt to instill discipline among the party cadres.

Moreover, sources also revealed that BSP is planning to educate voters about the voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines which will be used along with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the upcoming elections.