With Mayawati banned from campaigning\, nephew Akash Anand takes charge

With Mayawati banned from campaigning, nephew Akash Anand takes charge

Press Trust of India  |  Agra (UP) 

As the EC barred from campaigning for 48 hours, her 24-year-old nephew Tuesday addressed his first political rally here, urging the people to for the SP-BSP-alliance in the polls.

"People in such large numbers have come here on the appeal of my aunt for which I am thankful... My seniors are sitting on the dais but I am appearing before you for the first time and want to make an appeal... will you all listen to me," he said reading from a written text.

He appealed to the people to for the candidates fielded by the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party-alliance in Agra, and Mathura seats, introducing them to the crowd.

Seeking their support, he said the victory of the alliance candidates will be a "proper reply" to the Election Commission, ending the brief address with the BSP's usual slogan of 'jai Bhim... jai Bharat".

Akash Anand, the son of Mayawati's brother Anand, began appearing in public with her recently.

On January 15, he was seen standing behind the when she met in on her birthday and was also present on the dais at the joint SP-BSP-rally in Deoband on April 7.

He has also been included in the list of BSP's star campaigners.

The EC on Monday imposed a nation-wide ban on and from campaigning for 72 and 48 hours respectively from Tuesday for their "provocative" communal remarks.

While was issued the notice for her speech in Deoband, where she appealed to Muslims to not for the Congress, Adityanath was served the notice for his "Ali" and "Bajrang Bali" remarks while addressing a rally in

In his address, Misra referred to as his nephew and went on to attack the state for the ban on Mayawati's campaigning.

He claimed that the was only apprising the people about Adityanath's attempts to divide the voters by using the Ali-Bajrang Bali formulation.

"It was because of this that the party supremo had to apprise the electorate about the BJP designs of dividing the society," Misra pointed out.

"By taking the help of the Election Commission, a ban has been imposed on the campaigning of our leader Mayawati by the government when everyone knows that it is totally wrong an unconstitutional," Misra claimed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Tue, April 16 2019. 16:50 IST