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Political messages from Mayawati’s mega rally in Lucknow
With Uttar Pradesh scheduled to go for polls early 2017, Mayawati’s mega rally held in Lucknow on Sunday gives seven political messages.
The mammoth public rally BSP supremo Mayawati addressed in Lucknow on Sunday indicated that the recent exodus of several prominent leaders from the party failed to dent her organizational base.
It also gave a broad outline of the party’s strategy for the 2017 assembly elections, and what its rival could expect from it in the run of to the elections.
Here are the seven political messages drawn from the rally:
1. Exodus from BSP fails to weaken its base
Recent exodus of several prominent leaders from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has failed to weaken the party structure -- the foundation of which was laid by Kanshi Ram. The cadre and the party coordinators stood like a rock behind Mayawati while she displayed her ‘organisational strengths and support base’ to her rivals, dispelling the notion that the desertions had weakened the party ahead of the elections.
2. Is BSP the winner of 2017 battle?
The massive show of strength has succeeded in unnerving her rivals by showing it remains a major force to reckon with in the state. Samajwadi Party (SP) faces family feud and anti-incumbency and the BJP is yet to display its strength. Though there is an undercurrent of support building in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the surgical strikes, but the party needs to gear up. Despite all these factors in its favour, it will be too early to pronounce the party winner in the next year’s elections.
3. How would the rally help Mayawati
The success of the rally has demoralised the rebels and dissuades the fences sitters as it has sent out a clear message that the party is back in the race with a bang, thus leaving the cadres rejuvenated and the supporters hopeful.
4. Appeal to Muslims
With the Congress yet to recover its lost ground and the SP reeling under family feud, the BSP emerges as a leading contender for the Muslim votes. At the rally, Mayawati projected her party as the only strong force in the state that can halt resurgence of the BJP. She also tried to dispel aprehensions among the minorities that she would be open to forming a government in coalition with the BJP, as she did in the past.
The party’s Muslim face Naseemuddin Siddiqui has been entrusted to bolster party in the minority dominated pockets of the state.
5.’Corrupt’ Maya
Much to the consternation of the BJP and the SP, the response Mayawati got at the rally shows that their strategy to paint her corrupt has failed. Both have been accusing Maya of ‘selling’ party tickets. However, her supporters have rejected the charge.
6. Kanshi Ram’s legacy
There may be many claimants, including Kanshi Ram’s brother Darbara Singh, who is demanding a CBI probe into his brother’s death, to late leader’s legacy, but Mayawati remains the only credible leader to carry forward the legacy. Kanshi Ram had declared her his successor during his lifetime. His words remain the last word for the party supporters.
7. Ekla Chalo
Mayawati has set to rest all speculations over pre-poll alliance with the Congress or any other party. She has clarified that BSP would not join any grand alliance either, and so all the talks about the tie-ups were mere wishes of the Congress or that of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.
