New Delhi, Oct. 30: Dalit political spearhead Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is gearing up to give tickets to Brahmins in nearly 70 seats in Uttar Pradesh, which goes to polls early next year.

BSP chief Mayavati is likely to announce the names around mid-November, sources said.

Besides Dalits and Brahmins, Muslims are likely to be the other section that will get BSP tickets generously, the sources said, adding that the party leadership is looking at the minority community as the deciding factor in the upcoming election.

The move to announce the names of candidates months ahead of the Assembly poll is being seen as Mayavati’s strategy to send deep down the message, particularly among Brahmins and Muslims, that she is ready to accommodate the two communities in large numbers.

A few months ago, Mayavati had announced a list of nearly 200 candidates, 36 of whom were Brahmins. She is expected to field candidates in all 403 seats.

“In the second and final list, the number of Brahmin candidates are likely to grow to 70 or so,” a leader said.

In Uttar Pradesh, almost every fifth voter is a Muslim and Brahmins account for 9 per cent of the total electorate.

In the previous Assembly election, Muslims had overwhelmingly voted for Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP) whereas the majority of Brahmins had remained divided between the BJP and the Congress.

In the run-up to the coming poll, however, a considerable chunk of the two sections has begun showing signs of warmth towards the BSP.

Sensing the change in the air, Mayavati has started emphasising on building a casteless society. While Muslim voters are getting more and more divided, the BSP leadership feels that a significant section of the minority community could be won over.