BSP is banking on its tried-and-tested formula, taking candidates from Muslim and Dalit community
Though lying low, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is the only political outfit in Uttar Pradesh, which has taken a lead in the battle of Assembly polls. Immediately after the Election Commission declared the schedule for the Assembly election on January 4, the BSP released the list of its 401 candidates within the next four days . Since the BSP did not win a single seat in the Parliament polls in 2014, it is a do or die battle for them.
Mayawati is banking on her tried and tested formula of social engineering for this feat, imbibing candidates form Muslim and Dalit community. Her list includes 97 Muslims, 87 Dalits, and 56 Brahmins, whereas her 2012 list had 100 Muslims, 70 Dalits and 80 Brahmins. The candidates had been out in the field for over a year.
"I must have held more than 300 public meetings in my area and have tried to reach out to each and every voter personally in the last one year," said a Muslim candidate from Eastern UP, whose name had been finalised almost a year ago.
Alongside the announcement of the candidates, Mayawati is also holding orientation meetings. She is tutoring them on how to approach voters and which issues to address while campaigning.
Mayawati has asked her candidates to concentrate on demonetization when speaking against BJP, and poor law and order when speaking against SP. In fact, BSP is the only party in the state, which is focusing on the issue of demonetization in a methodical way to attack the BJP. She asked her candidates to convey the message that BSP stands with the poor while BJP is pro-rich, through their speeches on demonetization. She also guided her candidates to cash on the current family drama that ensued within the SP, to gain Muslim votes.
"When the father and the son cannot stand for each other, how will the Muslims look up to them as their leaders," she said addressing a press conference in Lucknow.
While her silent, strategic, and door-to-door campaigning is well on its way, other parties appear to have just woken up from slumber, especially Congress and BJP.
After the election date was declared on January 4, the BJP in the evening constituted its State Election Committee. The committee has more than two dozen members, including state and central leaders, besides a few turncoats namely, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Swami Prasad Maurya, and Brijesh Pathak. While Joshi defected from Congress the other two have drifted from the BSP.
The situation in Congress is not any different. A day after the declaration of the election dates, Congress also held its Sate Election Committee meeting. The only decision the committee could reach after the day-long deliberations, was to continue with their 20 sitting MLAs, for the coming election.
Sources however said that Congress, aspiring to tie up with SP, is waiting to see what turn the family feud takes, before taking any decision on its candidates.
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