New Delhi, Jan 19 (IANS): The Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to field its leader Uma Bharti as a party candidate in the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.The decision to field Uma Bharti, a former Madhya Pradesh chief minister, as a party candidate in the polls was taken by BJP President Nitin Gadkari.

Uma Bharti, who is already a lead campaigner of the BJP in the state, said that she would abide by the decision.

"We will work for getting majority ...we will turn Uttar Pradesh into Uttam Pradesh (best state)," she said.

Party leaders said that Uma Bharti will be fielded from Charkhari constituency of Bundelkhand region.

The move comes amid efforts by the BJP to get backing of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the Uttar Pradesh elections.

Uma Bharti belongs to the OBC community and had slammed the promise made by Congress leader Salman Khurshid to provide nine percent reservation to backward Muslims within the OBC category if Congress was voted to power in Uttar Pradesh.

The party sources said that BJP would try towards getting forward castes and non-Yadav OBC as its core support base in the polls while making efforts to garner support of other sections.