Mayawati takes stock of UP as SP battles internal battle

BSP chief holds discussions with her top leaders in a bid to corner Muslim votes

The deep fissures in the ruling Samajwadi party has come as a shot in the arm for the principal opposition party in Uttar Pradesh, Bahujan Samaj party. BSP president Mayawati held meetings with her top party leaders and lieutenants to explore how best to exploit the confusion in the ruling camp. 

The BSP meeting, coming on the heels of successful rallies in Agra, Azamgarh, Allahabad and Saharanpur districts, which have a sizeable Muslim population, also discussed the fluid political scene in UP.

While SP is beset with its set of troubles, BSP too has seen large scale desertions by some top party leaders and their cadres. Most of these leaders have joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In the backdrop of fissures in SP coming to surface, BSP is keen to further consolidate its Muslim vote bank, which is likely to drift from SP if the firefighting in the party is not controlled beyond this point by its patriarch and national president Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Over the last few days, the much talked about divide in the ruling Yadav clan has come to the forefront with the acrimony becoming public now.

In the course of events, UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has already sacked two cabinet ministers considered close to both Mulayam and his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav. Akhilesh even followed it up by removing chief secretary Deepak Singhal and appointing his choice of officer to the key post.

He has even divested Shivpal of key portfolios, including Public Works Department (PWD) and irrigation after Mulayam replaced Akhilesh with Shivpal as SP’s state unit president.

SP draws its political power from the dedicated constituency of the Yadavs and Muslims with the latter believed to vote any party which is in a position to defeat BJP.

In the light of recent events, the Muslims are likely to feel bewildered, in which case they could shift towards BSP, which has already been trying to woo the community big time. In her recent rally, Mayawati had even invoked the Ayodhya incident to tar Congress even as proclaiming herself as the saviour of communal harmony.

Meanwhile, in today’s meeting, Mayawati termed as theatrics the unfolding of the Yadav saga aimed at diverting the attention of people from its alleged failures on the fronts of development and law and order. She advised Mulayam to shun his affection towards son Akhilesh and give up politics for good.