BSP MLAs’ defection to Cong a jolt to Maya’s grand plan

After winning 10 seats in Lok Sabha election this year, BSP chief had started preparations for assembly polls in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand

LUCKNOW: The defection of six Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLAs to the Congress in Rajasthan on Monday has come as another setback to Mayawati, who had recently started working on expanding the party base in other states.

Only in July, the BSP had suffered a jolt in Karnataka, where its lone MLA, N Mahesh, had refused to support the HD Kumaraswamy government in the floor test. Mahesh was expelled from the party after the Congress-JD (S) government collapsed following the floor test.

Targeting the Congress in a series of tweets, Mayawati on Tuesday, said the grand old party was unreliable and deceitful.

After winning 10 seats in the Lok Sabha election this year, the BSP chief had started preparations for the assembly election in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Party sources said she held half a dozen meetings with party leaders and officebearers to review preparations and finalize candidates in three states. She had also rejiged the state units to galvanize cadre and strengthen party base.

During Lok Sabha elections, she supported the Congress governments in Rajasthan and Madhya

Pradesh but turned down alliance offer from the grand old party at the national stage. Instead she focused on alliance with regional parties to prepare a non-Congress and non-BJP front. Party sources said Mayawati was maintaining a close watch on the political activities in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh where her party was supporting the Congress governments.

During the Lok Sabha election, she had threatened to withdraw support from the Congress in Madhya Pradesh after party candidate from Guna Lok Sabha seat extended support to the Congress candidate. Following this, the BSP chief appointed her trusted

aides Sunil Kumar Chitoor as in-charge of Rajasthan and Ramji Gautam in-charge of Madhya Pradesh.

During the national executive meeting on August 28, Mayawati collected feedback from the office-bearers and MLAs of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. She had cautioned party leaders against the design of the Congress and the BJP to weaken the BSP.

A senior BSP leader, who did not wish to be named, said fearing that in Madhya Pradesh too the Congress might try to win over the two party MLAs, the BSP chief had directed party in-charge Ramji Gautam to remain in constant contact with

the MLAs, Sanjeev Singh Kushwaha and Rama Bai, after the duo had demanded cabinet posts from chief minister Kamal Nath.

A political observer RK Gautam said, earlier too BSP MLAs in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh had defected to the political party in power.

Having bagged 4% to 5% votes in last two consecutive assembly elections, the BSP continues to maintain hold over its vote base in both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

“That’s because the BSP continues to enjoy support among the scheduled caste and the scheduled tribe voters in both the states,” said Gautam.