NEW DELHI: In BSP, a large section is battling their lack of independence as the party is on the radar of the Enforcement Directorate.
With Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) having declared 65 out of 80 Lok Sabha candidates in Uttar Pradesh, the party insiders suggest that the leaders of Dalit-based party are losing out on political momentum with each passing phase of polls. As, according to leaders, the party does not embody its traditionally “assertive” and “independent” Dalit-based political narrative.
According to leaders in Uttar Pradesh, the kind of political line Mayawati has chosen has apparently made her to be seen as the B-team of BJP. It has sent down a message in the party’s ranks that the party is compromised and there is no independent direction the party is onto. In such a case, a senior leader said, what will be the reaction of such a big cadre which is battling its own demons of lack of independence (as the party is under the clutches of Enforcement Directorate)? The leaders of it will obviously try to move out of the party and go where they will know they have the power and they can independently determine what ought to be done.
A leader said, “Now if she doesn’t win any seats, of which there are high chances, this will be the first time in decades that the party will not perform at biggest platform of political levels. They will simply look for greener pastures. Most of the politicians are careerists.
They look for greener pastures. And those who choose to stay with her would be a less confident lot who are unable to take hard decisions, they will be comfortable there and yet unable to work at a full potential, eventually the party will become a drag on or it will break away.”
Moreover, the political analysts in the state suggest that there is no BSP candidate, who seems to be winning outrightly. The equation as of now, according to political observers, is that there will be bipolar contest between opposition bloc and BJP, and then there is BSP, which could dent votes of both the parties. Somewhere more but on most of the seats very less votes will be swayed. There are a few seats where BSP could emerge as a winner only because the two camps would be contesting equally and the BSP could take away those seats. But such seats are hardly 3 seats.”
However another political analyst said, “Mayawati should not be taken that lightly. Though there is a perception that people are willing to vote for only two bloc’s either NDA or the new formation of I.N.D.I.A. But then there are dalit-based sentiments alive among Dalits who have seen Mayawati in her prime and have pledged to her on caste lines. That vote base is supposed to be intact. And that makes her pretty much alive in the political space.
It could just be that the youth may not vote for her. Moreover, if the Dalit voter votes for her again and she polls more than 10 percent of vote share, she will remain as a force for upcoming assembly elections as well.”