Mulayam has long been labelled as a supporter of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh, he has even been called Mullah Mulayam, and this apparent closeness has paid off in huge numbers in this assembly elections.
While the polls saw a bitter contest by all parties to woo Muslims, who form more than 30 per cent of the population in around 140 constituencies, it was SP that was able to turn that support into actual numbers.
The Congress was the first to announce a major sop to Muslims, providing reservation quotas to them, and then it was the turn of Bahujan Samaj Party, which gave 85 tickets to Muslims, the maximum by any party, but it looks like it was the SP that benefitted most from the Muslim vote, an important constituency in the state.
According to results, in 140 seats where Muslims are more than 30 per cent, Mulayam was able to secure 72 seats, while Mayawati got 27 seats.
The Congress, which went out of its way to bring Muslims back into the fold, was able to win only 11 seats, a clear indication that the party has a long way to go with the community.
Others parties said to be representing Muslims, such as the Peace Party of India, Quami Ekta Dal and Itehadi-Millet Council were able to win only between one and three seats. Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal, an ally of the Congress, won just two Muslim-dominated areas.
Out of the total Muslim candidates, more than 55 won elections this time. SP had fielded 75 Muslims, of which 32 won, an all-time record for the party; BSP had fielded 85 Muslims, but only 12 were able to secure the seats; while only one Congress candidate won.
The Bhartiya Janata Party had brought in Uma Bharti from Madhya Pradesh in an attempt to boost its political fortunes, but she was able to secure just her seat and two more for the party.
The party was hoping to exploit her Hindutva credentials and the Muslim reservation issue through her, but she apparently failed to deliver much.
