Lucknow, Dec 27 (IANS): People in Uttar Pradesh will now witness a 'boat-race' on the streets. Vikassheel Party of India (VIP) president Mukesh Sahani, also a minister in Bihar, said that he has flagged off 165 vehicles on which a boat is mounted.

"The boat is the election symbol of my party and these vehicles will criss-cross 165 Assembly seats that have a sizeable Nishad population.

For the campaign, e-rickshaws have been converted into 'boats' and the purpose is to create awareness among the Nishad voters.

"The boat signifies the livelihood of my community and is also an eco-friendly means of transportation. It was on the boat that Nishad Raj ferried Lord Ram across the river. Hence the boat has immense significance for us," he told IANS.

Sahani said that the boat will ferry his ideas across 165 constituencies in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Sahani, who is in Lucknow, said he will be holding meetings with his party workers from Purvanchal, Avadh and Bundelkhand region and western Uttar Pradesh to identify seats and decide on prospective candidates.

"I will be distributing publicity kits and motorbikes to those given charge of the Assembly segments before they return to their constituencies," he said.

Replying to a question, Mukesh Sahani said that he was fighting for the rights of the Nishad community and his battle will continue till reservation is given to his community.

Sahani, who uses the prefix 'Son of Mallah' to his name, said that he was confident of getting good support in the Uttar Pradesh elections because other parties had used Nishads as a vote bank till now and deprived them of their rights.

The VIP is part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and has one minister in the Bihar cabinet