Eye on 2014, BSP to double volunteer force

The Bahujan Volunteer Force, popularly known as BVF among party workers, was being strengthened for managing booths, mobilising voters and averting violence during the elections. A BSP leader said party chief Mayawati prefers that the security at the party's rallies and management of booths is supervised by own volunteers and not policemen.

In the last five years, when the BSP was in power in UP, the BVF cadres had been lying low as the party supporters did not feel threatened. "The BSP is not in power now, so there is always a fear of violence during election. A dedicated force of young volunteers will be of much help," said the party leader.

Started by the party founder, Kanshi Ram, in 1980s, the BVF has been managing the security of rallies held by the BSP. Although the volunteers are party workers, they are nurtured as a separate unit only for the task of managing security during elections and party rallies and programmes.

Party workers aged between 18 and 40 years are recruited into the BVF. The force is headed by a Vidhan Sabha convenor and co-convenor at the level of Assembly constituency and by a district convenor and a co-convenor at the district level. A separate wing of women volunteers is headed by women convenor at the district level. At the state level, the force is supervised by party general secretary Naseemuddin Siddiqui.

The force had played an important role during the 2007 Assembly elections for mobilising party supporters and ensuring that they reached the polling booths and cast their votes.

Siddiqui said earlier there were 40 volunteers in every Assembly segment, but now there will be 70 volunteers. He said earlier there were about 10 per cent women in the BVF but now the women's participation will be of more than 20 per cent.

The volunteers wear blue trousers, white shirt and a blue cap. Each member of the force is armed with a stick. A district convenor of the BVF said earlier the volunteers used to buy their uniform themselves but this time the uniform is being provided by the party. He said once all the volunteers get selected, they will be trained to handle the various situations during elections and rallies.

ALSO READ

Kataria ideal man, Sohrabuddin had to die: RSS-affiliated outfit

Disabled girls say raped in Rajasthan school, 4 arrested

Cong's Jharkhand dream may crash as CBI seeks to prosecute eight MLAs

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrives today, PM to seek early revival of border talks