http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=337646
NEWSMAKER: Mayawati Ready for the big leap? Aasha Khosa / New Delhi October 17, 2008, 0:33 IST A kingmaker, rather than the king, is how the the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo, Mayawati, now being perceived across the country. This has its own implications for a hung Lok Sabha as and when general elections for the 15th Lok Sabha are held. For the moment, though, the rise of the schoolteacher from Delhi is making all mainstream political parties rethink election strategies. As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sits down to finalise its strategy in Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan and Delhi, leaders openly concede that they will have to take into consideration the growing presence and influence of the BSP in these states. A senior BJP leader, who travelled across insurgency-infested Chhattisgarh in a pre-poll survey, said he was surprised at the extent of the BSP's forays into the tribal heartland. "Mayawati's strategy is clear. She will wait for the BJP and Congress to falter on nominations so that she can poach on disgruntled elements in both parties," he said. In Delhi, Mayawati's strategy is significantly different. She has put up candidates not on the basis of caste, but on the basis of their standing in the community. So, while previously, BSP candidates, who were mostly from an economically deprived background, would simply use the election to enrich themselves, this time, there are people – many of them first time politicians – who see the BSP as a route to establish themselves politically, having already achieved personal prosperity and a degree of fame in the community. The BSP has decided to field candidates in all the states, regardless of its strength. As part of that game plan, Mayawati has also moved to elevate her status – by challenging Congress President Sonia Gandhi on her home turf, Rae Bareli. Whether a coach factory comes up there or not, Mayawati's move to cancel the land for the factory to be located in Gandhi's constituency has a political message: The UP leader considers herself Gandhi's equal in stature, a move that has gained her the accolades for having the courage to take on a leader of Gandhi's standing. A Dalit and a woman: A double disadvantage, Mayawati was recently described by one of her voters as 'hunterwali'. She told her father recently with the underlying bitterness of this double handicap that what "your sons were not able to do for you, your daughter has done". Like many caste leaders – and many non-caste ones as well – Mayawati's model for running the BSP is not exactly consistent with Westminster prescriptions. But the woman who celebrates pink as her signature colour is no wilting rose. She may not have the seats — yet— but her people are with her. ------------------------------------ ---- INFORMATION OVERLOAD? Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ PARTICIPATE:- On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to [email protected] TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:- If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/ Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
