Mayawati's BSP draws a blank, loses its relevance

From putting up a decent performance in the last Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh winning 10 seats stitching an alliance with arch rival Samajwadi Party, Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party drew a blank in the current general elections, dealing a severe blow to its reputation of representing the voice of Dalits in the state.

The BSP's selection of candidates reflected its attempt to doom the chances of the opposition grouping, but the Samajwadi Party emerging as the single largest party in the state and the Congress doing better in partnership with it show that Mayawati's factor has lost its electoral charm.

After drawing a blank in the 2014 general elections, the BSP won a decent 10 of the 38 seats that it contested under the alliance.

Emerging as the second-largest party, it polled over 19 per cent votes which has remained loyal to Mayawati almost all through, thereby maintaining her relevance in UP's electoral politics, especially as it has been considered a transferable vote.

This time round, the BSP chief faces an uphill task as she has not only announced of going solo in the coming polls, but also the fact that some of her MPs have either drifted away or shown signs of it.

Besides, the political opponents have also branded Mayawati's party as the 'B' team of the saffron party based on the public stand taken by her on various issues.

In the recent Rajya Sabha elections, her lone MLA Uma Shankar Singh's vote for the BJP further put a stamp on the accusations.

The BSP's core Dalit vote bank makes it relevant in the electoral politics in the state which sends maximum 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha.

The Dalits constitute over 20 per cent of UP electorates.

The BJP is trying to neutralise her influence by making a fellow Dalit Baby Rani Maurya a senior minister in the state and Akhilesh Yadav roping in Chandra Sekhar Azad 'Ravan' to diminish Mayawati's political influences.

The results show Mayawati's BSP has lost its relevance. Mayawati has been neither a constituent of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nor of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) and already decided to go alone in the upcoming polls.

The majority of its 10 MPs have either moved to the BJP or some to the SP in the current polls.

The BSP supremo fielded new faces this time.

BSP MP Ritesh Pandey (Ambedkarnagar) has already joined the BJP at the party headquarters in Delhi in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, BJP state president Bhupendra Chaudhary and party's in-charge for Uttar Pradesh Baijayant Panda.

In his resignation letter to Mayawati, Pandey alleged that it had been a long time since he had been called to attend party meetings and has also not been able to establish any kind of a dialogue with the leadership despite him trying to meet Mayawati and other senior leaders.

With Pandey joining the BJP, four out of ten Lok Sabha MPs have either switched sides or made it clear that they plan to do so.

Earlier this month, the SP had announced Afzal Ansari, BSP MP from Ghazipur, as its candidate from the seat for the Lok Sabha polls.

Danish Ali, BSP MP from Amroha, was suspended last year by Mayawati for speaking in favour of Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra.