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Election: India's 'Untouchable' Rising Star 11:32pm UK, Wednesday April 15, 2009 Alex Crawford, India correspondent, in New Delhi As India's general election gets underway, a woman from the "untouchable" caste is defying convention and has a real shot at becoming Prime Minister. Mayawati is from India's lowest caste but currently leads a major state Although caste discrimination is illegal, the issue of which caste - high or low - Indians happen to be born into more often than not determines their future in the country. But Mayawati is the exeption. She's a woman with only one name and was born a Dalit - or an "untouchable", the lowest caste. But she now runs the state of Uttar Pradesh, a politically powerful state with a population larger than France, Britain and Spain combined. She stunned the country by the becoming the state's top official and has now set her sights on becoming Prime Minister. Portraying herself as a defender of the poor, she castigates the more powerful ruling parties for clinging to power. Supporters of Mayawati at a rally There is no doubt she has shown herself to be politically astute and able to allay parties with previously conflicting interests. But she is among a dozen officials in Uttar Pradesh facing investigations into their finances - and in a state where half live below the poverty line, she has amassed a huge wealth. In Lucknow for instance, the state capital, she is spending around £3m (four times the state health budget) on building a series of memorials to Dalit heroes, including herself. She is not technically standing for election but campaigning for her Bahujan Samaj Party. Under the Indian constitution she could still become PM so long as she wins a parliamentary seat within six months of taking office. The outcome of India's fifteenth general election since independence is likely to be close, with both main parties expected to have to do deals with smaller parties to get into power. Mayawati could end up being King-maker and is almost certain to have a large say in helping to form the next ruling coalition.
