Mayawati Ticket Tweaks Benefit BJP

Mayawati's last-minute shuffle of tickets in the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has sparked intrigue, especially with changes in Jaunpur and Basti constituencies, leaving political pundits pondering potential benefits for the Bharatiya Janata Party

- BISWAJEET BANERJEE

(BJP). What's more, the BSP's decision to allocate around 30% of its tickets to Muslim candidates has raised questions about potential vote splitting that could play into the BJP's hands.

In an unexpected twist, the BSP replaced its candidate in Jaunpur, pulling the ticket from Srikala Reddy, wife of gangster-turned-politician Dhananjay Singh, who had already thrown her hat in the ring. Instead, the party nominated Shyam Singh Yadav, the incumbent MP from Jaunpur, who filed his nomination at the eleventh hour, setting the stage for a three-way tussle with the BJP and SP candidates.