BSP plans to groom young leadership

Lucknow: Infusing ‘young blood’ in BSP is the need of the hour, party national president Mayawati has told the office-bearers in different state units of the party. The party will decentralise responsibilities and assign more of its workers the important work within the party structure.The biggest challenge for the party, however, is the lack of a young leader who can lead by example. Mayawati's nephew and BSP national coordinator Akash Anand is not visible on the scene in as much measure as required.On Sunday, Mayawati held a review meeting with the office-bearers in the party units in Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi. This was after she had reviewed the party's performance in the urban local body polls in UP on Thursday.BSP has its focus on Lok Sabha 2024 elections and is keen to retain its national party status. But, before that the party wants to do well in the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana in 2023, said sources.“While in UP, the focus will still be on Muslim votes, as was conveyed in the review meeting to the leaders and workers, the other states will have to work out their strategies to reach out to Muslims, Dalits and EBCs, without overlooking the upper caste,” said a party functionary. BSP has contested elections in at least 15 states in the past.