SP's transgender mayoral candidate in Ayodhya hopeful of win

Lucknow: Transgender Gulshan Bindu, who has been named by the Samajwadi Party as its mayoral candidate from Ayodhya, a stronghold of the BJP, is hopeful of a win in the upcoming municipal polls.

Talking to IANS, Bindu said she was very hopeful of winning in next month's civic elections and added that people were fed of the "hollow promises" of the BJP.

"This time the people will boot out the BJP in the municipal corporation polls," she said.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) said it will contest the municipal corporation elections with its full might and that the party was the first to announce its candidates.

On Friday, the state election commission (SEC) had announced the schedule for the local bodies polls, which would be held in three phases — November 22, 26 and 29. The counting of votes would be held on December 1. The model code of conduct has come into force in the state.

The stakes are high for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as it is in power in most municipal corporations, including state capital Lucknow.

In Meerut, the SP has fielded Deep Manethiya Valmiki as its candidate, I.S. Tomar in Bareilly, Mujahid Kidwai in Aligarh, Rahul Saxena in Jhansi and Rahul Gupta in Gorakhpur, the home town of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Yusuf Ansari is the party candidate from Moradabad.