Despite the cold weather (lowest 4.5 degree Celsius), around 50,000 BSP workers from various parts of UP have arrived in Lucknow to participate in Muslim-Thakur-Vaishya rally to be addressed by state chief minister Mayawati on Sunday.
BSP state unit president Swami Prasad Maurya said around 400,000 workers were expected to participate in the rally. With this rally, the BSP expects to cut into the vote base of the BJP (Vaishya) and SP (Muslim). The rally also assumes importance in the face of the Congress's campaigning. The Congress is trying its best to woo the Muslims who had played an important role in bringing her party to power in the 2007 assembly polls.
In the 2007, Mayawati had won the state elections by successful experiment at social engineering through "bhaichara"(brotherhood) of communities. She had earlier addressed a similar "bhaichara" conferences of Brahmins and backwards on November 13 and 27 respectively. The possibility of Mayawati announcing sops for Muslims, who comprise 18 per cent of the electorate in Uttar Pradesh, cannot be ruled out. She could announce quota for backwards Muslims.
(with inputs from agencies)