The general perception is that if Mayawati is at the helm, the law and order situation will not be as bad as it is under Mulayam Singh's rule.
"People can reflect on the past records of our government. The first thing Mayawati does on assuming power is to put all anti-social elements behind bars. People feel safer on the streets. Everyone knows they will get justice and they are assured of equality with the BSP in power," claims Dr Sanjeev Lal, the BSP's Moradabad district president.
As intimidation seems to be a big issue, one of the BSP slogans is, 'Chad Goondayki chathi par Button daba de Hathi par (Trample over the goons and vote for the Elephant.)
The BSP has an advantage in that that its symbol is first on the electronic voting machine and thus easier to find.
Running past the above factors, Dr Lal feels there is not a single factor that has contributed to the BSP's rise, but a combination of all these factors.
"It is not only a Brahmin-Dalit equation, but a combination of all castes and classes. This is true in that Mayawati's candidates are not only Brahmins, Muslims and Dalits. There are candidates from the backward castes too. The only criteria being that any candidate should belong to a caste that has a sizeable number in that constituency."
Image: Jaipal, a farmer in Mau, believes the BSP will work for the betterment of the farmers.
Also see: How this UP poll is different
Advertisement
