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Mayawati is first among equals: BSP always gains from pre-poll alliances

Together the SP-BSP seeks to represent more than 65 per cent of the UP population, comprising the Dalits and OBCs (22% and 45%, respectively)

Mayawati, BSP chief, Akhilesh
premium

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is playing second fiddle to BSP supremo Mayawati in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls Photo: PTI

Virendra Singh Rawat
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) President Mayawati, also known as Behanji, is known for monologue press conferences, where she reads from text and rarely entertains impromptu media questions.
 
However, scribes were taken by surprise when Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav uncharacteristically opted for Behanji’s modus operandi while sharing the dais with her in Lucknow on January 12 to jointly announce the SP-BSP alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
 
Yadav, who is spontaneous in his media interactions, fielding questions in his signature wit and at times dry humour, appeared to be obediently playing second fiddle to Mayawati at