Mayawati names ex-mla br ambedkar for rajya sabha berth

The decision to name BR Ambedkar as the party candidate for Rajya Sabha was taken after a meeting with party functionaries Putting to rest speculation of whether she is going to Rajya Sabha

again with the support of the Samajwadi Party and Congress, the BSP Supremo Mayawati on Tuesday named former party Dalit MLA Bhimrao Ambedkar as the party's candidate for the Upper

House berth. The decision to name BR Ambedkar as the party candidate for Rajya Sabha was taken after a meeting with party functionaries. "He was selected due to his name, similar to

that of Dalit icon Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar to push further the party's ideology and play the Dalit card strongly before 2019 Lok Sabha polls," a BSP aspirant for Rajya Sabha, who was

denied the berth, candidly admitted. "Media was going overboard with my name and my brother's name but I don't promote nepotism in BSP," she said after announcing the

name of B.R. Ambedkar as party nominee for the Rajya Sabha berth on the tenth seat from Uttar Pradesh. Ambedkar is a former MLA from Etawah. The BSP Supremo has extended support to Samajwadi

party candidate in bypolls on two Lok Sabha seats in Gorakhpur and Phulpur. In return, she bagged the tenth seat for the Rajya Sabha for the BSP. With 19 MLAs in UP Assembly, BSP was not in

a position to send any of its leader to the Upper House. However, even after securing support of 10 extra votes from the Samajwadi Party, the BSP requires support of all seven Congress MLAs

and one one more member to ensure victory of the her party nominee on March 23. BSP sources claimed that they will manage one vote from 3 independents. Out of ten Rajya Sabha seats, BJP

with 311 members and 13 allies will be able to send eight members to Rajya Sabha, while the Samajwadi Party would manage only one with 47 and transfer remaining extra votes to the BSP

candidate. Congress with 7 members may extend support to the BSP for taking its support in Madhya Pradesh.