It is getting increasingly evident that her strategy is to push the elections as far as possible.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has found a novel way of playing hide and seek with the Election Commission of India.
Contrary to widespread speculation that she would go for an early assembly poll, it was getting increasingly evident that her strategy is to push the elections as far as possible.
Responding to a suggestion of the Election Commission to hold the polls in February-March, Mayawati was understood to have raised the million dollar question - why was the Election Commission keen on going for a premature poll when the term of the state assembly was expiring May 20.
"The last assembly election in 2007 was held between April 7 and May 8, so why the haste now," the chief minister has asked.
Significantly, a day earlier the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (state secondary education board) announced dates of high school and intermediate examinations between January-end and beginning of April.
While the practicals are to be held between January-end and mid-February, the main examinations are scheduled between March 1 and April 4.
That will rule out the possibility of the elections anytime before the second week of April.
"Bulk of the election duties are carried out by school teachers. So if they are busy with the examinations, it would not be possible to conduct the polls," a state government official pointed out.
"Sure enough the Election Commission cannot direct the Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad to shift the examination dates," he added.
Political analysts were of the view that more than anything else, it were the shortly arising vacancies in the Rajya Sabha that were high on Mayawati's mind.
Ten seats from Uttar Pradesh are among 58 falling vacant in the Rajya Sabha April 2.
If the Rajya Sabha elections were held before the constitution of the new assembly, the BSP would have a clear edge by virtue of its current majority in the assembly.
BSP has 18 members in the Rajya Sabha, six of whom are retiring April 2.
Earlier, Mayawati had already succeeded in getting the municipal elections postponed by two months by seeking intervention of the apex court.
First came the Supreme Court's stay on Tuesday on the municipal elections December 18, directing the state election commission to notify the election dates February 18 after the electoral rolls are revised.
The Uttar Pradesh government had challenged the Allahabad High Court order fixing the elections December 18.
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