Expelled, BSP MLA claims Maya sought Rs 8cr for ticket

Ghaziabad: A day after his expulsion from BSP, its Sahihabad MLA Amarpal Sharma claimed party chief Mayawati had demanded Rs 8 crore from him to contest from the seat again.
Sharma also declared he would now fight the polls as a Congress candidate, saying he had reached out to the party for a ticket and had been immediately accommodated. Congress confirmed Sharma had joined but did not say if he would be the party’s candidate from Sahibabad.
Sharma made the allegations against Mayawati in public, at a news conference he called at his Rajendra Nagar office on Tuesday, that was attended by a loyal band of supporters. Bribes from candidates, he claimed, were the only subject discussed at BSP meetings. Sharma alleged BSP chief Mayawati had asked him to pay Rs 8 crore in return for a confirmed nomination from Sahibabad three months ago, and the amount later came down to Rs 5 crore following negotiations with party general secretary Naseemuddin Siddiqui.
“They had cancelled my ticket three months ago and for the following month they put pressure on me to pay up the amount. They interpreted my reluctance to pay the bribe for my seat as my involvement with some other political party,” Sharma said. “Although I was working with other party colleagues for Mayawati’s birthday celebrations, they falsely accused me of staying aloof,” he added.
Sharma was expelled by BSP for “anti-party activities”. When this correspondent approached Siddiqui, he said, “BSP doesn’t have a statement on this so far and party president Mayawati will throw light on the issue by Wednesday evening.” Another BSP functionary said, “Sharma was basically interested in BJP and was secretly willing to join them. He would have sabotaged our party’s chances in the election. Hence, appropriate action was necessary against him.”
Sharma did not spare Ghaziabad district BSP chief Premchand Bharti either, calling him “the most corrupt person in the party and an SP agent”. Asked about his decision to join Congress, Sharma said, “BJP is going through a lot of internal unrest, after people like Munna Pandit and Mukesh Sharma lost their tickets. I have joined Congress after a certain negotiation. I will fight the elections with all my heart.”
BSP to field Siddique from Sahibabad?
Soon after Amarpal Sharma joined Congress, sources in BSP said a long-time member of the party, Jalal-ud-din Siddique, is likely to be fielded from Sahibabad.
BSP’s Ghaziabad district chief Premchand Bharti said, “A formal announcement regarding our new candidate from Sahibabad is likely to be made on Wednesday. The name will be finalized after a meeting of the party top brass.”
Siddique, a trader who lives in Pratap Vihar, had unsuccessfully run for GMC mayor on three occasions. He contested the mayoral elections in 1995, 2000 and 2005 on BSP tickets.