Aligarh: Sangeeta Chowdhury, the Bahujan Samaj Party's declared candidate from Atrauli in UP for the 2017 Assembly polls, was so ecstatic and obliged when Mayawati gave her a ticket last week to fight from that constituency that she fell at her supremo's feet. She even got her children to touch Behenji's feet, happily posting those photographs later on Facebook.

But even as Chawdhury got “compliments” and “congratulations” from her followers and friends, some in the social media did not take kindly to the "show of feudalism" and lashed out at the "craven display of loyalty". Fuming at the adverse response to the posts, an angry Mayawati has now cancelled Chowdhury's ticket.

Chowdhury had been confident that she would win from Atrauli, given that there was considerable "sympathy" for her after her husband Dharmendra Chowdhury, the original BSP candidate from the seat for the state elections next year, was murdered in January 2015.

Saddened at the drastic action against her, Chaudhury said, “I never thought my Facebook photo post will lead to this. I met Behenji to discuss the problems and the challenges I am facing in pursuing my political ambitions and also other things as my husband was killed a year ago. I uploaded the pictures just to hint to my detractors that Behenji is with me, unka haath mere upar hai (I have her blessings). But I was shocked to know when the coordinator called me and said that my ticket had been cancelled. Behenji is very upset with the pictures I shared on Facebook.” Chaudhury is ready to apologize. “Right now, Behenji is very upset with me, but after she cools down I will go and apologize to her, say sorry for what I did.”

BSP district president Arvind Aditya, who said the incident was “a sad one", has however desisted from questioning Mayawati’s stance. He said, “Behenji takes all decisions in the interest of the party. We respect her every move. What happened with the Atrauli candidate is sad. I cannot say anything else on this.”

Aditya said that in 2012 the BSP got 27% votes from this constituency that has a substantial population of Lodha Rajputs, Jatavs, Jats and Brahmins. "This time, the party was expecting 35% votes because there is a BSP wave," he added.

In Aligarh district, the BSP has done well in the just-concluded zila panchayat elections with 33-year-old Upendra Singh winning by a huge margin as he pushed to second spot the Samajwadi Party’s Neetu Singh. In neighbouring Hathras, former BSP MLA Ramveer Upadhyay's relative Vinod Kumar Upadhyay, 53, also won.

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