Uttar Pradesh: BSP promises to boost Wi-Fi facilities across Lucknow ahead of municipal elections

Lucknow: The BSP on Sunday promised to strengthen Wi-Fi facilities in the City of Nawabs and bridge the “digital divide” if voted to power in the urban local body polls. Bahujan Samaj Party is contesting the civic polls on its party symbol after 17 years. BSP’s mayoral candidate Bulbul Godiyal said, “We have observed that there is a digital divide existing in the state capital Lucknow. A few posh localities enjoy good Wi-Fi speed, while people residing in other parts of the city are forced to cope with a slow Wi-Fi”. “This digital divide will be definitely bridged. And, the youngsters will find the same reasonably good speed of Wi-Fi throughout Lucknow,” she told PTI. The party also promised to give a new lease of life to pink autos. “We have decided to give a new lease of life to pink auto-rickshaws, which were started during the previous SP regime, but subsequently were reduced to a mere showpiece, and did not play a major role as a means of transport. This scenario will change,” she said. [caption id=“attachment_4217771” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] Godiyal, a former additional advocate general, charged that the BJP has “copied” her concept of pink toilets for women. In the 28 point Sankalp Patra released at state BJP headquarters on 12 November, the BJP promised free Wi-Fi in prominent public places and construction of “pink toilets” for women. The BSP’s mayoral candidate for Lucknow also said, “We have plans to launch municipal helpline on the lines of 1090 (police helpline), which will attend to people’s woes, civic problems on a phone call. It will then redress the grievance and confirm redressal from the complainant and get feedback.” 24 districts of Uttar Pradesh will go to polls on November 22, while 25 districts will go to polls on 26 November, and 26 districts on 29 November. Counting of votes polled for 16 nagar nigams, 198 nagar palika parishads and 438 nagar panchayats will be done on 1 December. More than 3.36 crore voters will be eligible to cast their ballots at 36,269 polling booths and 11,400 polling stations. These polls, being held eight months after the BJP came to power with a landslide victory, will mark the first electoral test for the Yogi Adityanath government.