ULB polls: Mayawati to decide on Atiq Ahmed's wife's candidature

LUCKNOW: BSP national president Mayawati will hold a state-level meeting of her party leaders and office-bearers on April 2 to decide on the party's strategy for the upcoming urban local body polls. In another major move, she is also expected to make her stand on the candidature of Shaista Parveen, Atiq Ahmed's wife, for Prayagraj mayoral seat, public on the day.
Though speculations have been rife that Parveen has lost her candidature, party sources said, "The decision will be that of Behenji strictly." Now, if Parveen will only lose her candidature or also be expelled from the party is for only Mayawati to decide, said party insiders.
A day after Umesh Pal was killed in a broad daylight attack in Prayagraj, in February, police registered an FIR which also mentioned Shaista Parveen along with the others. Parveen has been absconding since.
Mayawati had initially maintained that she will expel Parveen from the party only if charges against her in case are proven. "The party does not promote criminal elements of whichever caste or religion they are. But, as it is already known, for any crime committed (by a person), BSP does not punish the family or those not guilty," she had tweeted.
Shaista had joined BSP in January along with her supporters and was announced the party's mayoral candidate from Prayagraj, almost immediately, given the party's renewed focus on Muslim voters. Parveen was the second mayoral candidate declared by BSP, after the wife of party's western UP coordinator Imran Masood, Saima Masood, who was declared the mayoral candidate from Saharanpur municipal corporation.
After Mayawati, BSP MLA Uma Shanker Singh had also supported Shaista Parveen when police announced a cash reward of Rs 25,000 for information on her. Singh said that it was an attempt by the police to divert attention from its failure in solving the Umesh Pal murder case.