Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Monday said her party will not field gangster Atiq Ahmad's wife Shaista Parveen or any other member of his family in the mayoral election in Prayagraj.
Parveen had joined the BSP in the presence of its senior leaders on January 5, and was reportedly being considered as the party's mayoral candidate for Prayagraj. The urban local body elections will be held in the state on May 4 and 11.
Atiq Ahmed, his brother Ashraf and wife have been booked in connection with the murder on February 24 of Umesh Pal, a witness in the 2005 Raju Pal murder case. Two security personnel were also gunned down in the attack on Umesh Pal.
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"As far as Shaista Parveen is concerned, I would like to make it clear that as per the facts emerging from media reports regarding the Umesh Pal murder case, as soon as the name of Atiq's wife emerged and after she has gone underground, the situation has changed," Mayawati told reporters here.
"In this scenario, our party will now not give the mayoral ticket to Atiq's wife nor to any member of his family," she added.
The BSP chief further said, "As far as the question of keeping Atiq's wife in the party is concerned, a decision will be taken soon from the facts that emerge after she lands in the police net."
Mayawati's statement comes two days after police booked Atiq Ahmad, his wife and his son Ali in a forgery case linked to the murder of Umesh Pal. The FIR was registered on Saturday at the Dhoomanganj police station in Prayagraj.
After Parveen had joined the BSP, the party's zonal in-charge Ghanshyam Chandra Kharwar had said then if she wanted to contest the mayoral election, a request would be sent to Mayawati to give her a ticket.
Last month, senior BSP leader and Rasra MLA Uma Shankar Singh had come out in support of Parveen in the wake of police announcing a reward for information on her. Singh had said, "Shaista Parveen is all set to become the mayor of Prayagraj and the BJP is going to lose the seat. This is the (reason) behind the BJP's fury."