Maya's social engineering formula fails to click this time

BSP supremo Mayawati's social engineering formula, which reaped rich dividends in the Assembly polls, failed to click with voters this time around with only a handful of Brahmins, Thakurs and Muslims winning.

BSP supremo Mayawati's social engineering formula, which reaped rich dividends in the Assembly polls, failed to click with voters this time around with only a handful of Brahmins, Thakurs and Muslims winning.

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Fresh from the 2007 experiment, the BSP had pinned its hopes on bringing into its fold Brahmins and Muslims along with its loyal votebank among the Dalits.

The party, earlier known for its extreme views on the upper castes, had liberally distributed tickets to Brahmins (20), Thakurs (six) and Muslims (14) hoping that the votes of these castes along with its core vote base would make a smooth sail for the party nominees, but the success rate this time was unlike the assembly polls with only five Brahmins, four Thakurs and four Muslim candidates managing to win.

In the last assembly polls, the BSP chief had given tickets to some 80 Brahmins of which 42 had won their seats and the party had returned the favour by giving them important positions in the government besides going all out to woo them in the party fold by organising Brahmin Bhaichara committees.