Maya for fresh strategy to regain lost ground

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh always has a bearing on the Lok Sabha elections with its huge chunk of 80 seats. Friday’s tally of 71 for the BJP said it all for the centre as well. But more telling was Mayawati’s no-show.

So, what happened? The party that formed UP government on its own strength in 2007 and bagged 20 seats in the 2009 Lok Sabha election suddenly finds itself at crossroads. The core vote base of the BSP, Dalits, has not deserted the elephant if the 20% vote polled by it is any indication. But the upper caste, backward and Muslim coalition that Mayawati had meticulously woven since the inception of the BSP in 1984 was breached by the saffron brigade this summer.

Mayawati now stares at the fact that Dalit votes alone would not fetch her seats in the Lok Sabha or the assembly elections. She needs to build up the rainbow coalition of Dalit-Upper caste-Backward-Muslim to regain the lost ground.

It’s not that she hasn’t realised that. “I have converted Dalits into missionary soldiers of the BSP but failed to rekindle the ideology of the party among the upper caste and backward voters. The BJP was able to wean them away with its development trick,” she said on Saturday. “The saffron brigade was able to polarise voters on communal lines.” Now, Mayawati has called a party meeting on May 20 to analyse the election results. “The BSP will now focus on bringing the upper caste and backward voters back to its fold.”

And how will she counter the development agenda of Narendra Modi? “Modi has made tall promises to the people but our economy is not strong enough to get all the assurances fulfilled. When the realisation sets in among the people, the BSP would make its move,” she said. Political analyst Rajesh Kumar Mishra, however, said: “Rather than focussing on development agenda, Mayawati indulged in politics of symbolism — building Dalit memorials and statues. Dalits yearn for more — better life, education and employment. Mayawati will have to come up with a solid roadmap and vision for development of UP.”