UP polls 2017: BSP has an edge and Mayawati is likely to return to power
UP Polls 2017 - Six months prior to the 2017 Assembly elections, the battle for power in Uttar Pradesh was seen as a fight between the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) led by Mayawati and the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), which is presently ruling at the centre. The BJP's chances had dwindled slightly after its state vice president Dayashankar Singh made some inappropriate comments against Mayawati. At that point, the Samajwadi Party, the party currently in power, was widely perceived to be out of the race.
All of a sudden, a series of melodramatic incidents within the SP's ruling family catapulted Akhilesh Yadav from the status of 'half CM' to full chief minister and leader of the party. Earlier, he was often taunted to be subordinate to the SP's big four: his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, uncle Shivpal Yadav, uncle Ram Gopal Yadav and senior leader Azam Khan. The
impression formed that since Mulayam was publicly taking the side of his brother Shivpal, party cadres would remain loyal to Shivpal if it came to choosing between him and Akhilesh. However, Akhilesh proved everybody wrong and now is the undisputed claimant to the chief ministership on behalf of the Samajwadi Party, with Shivpal and even Mulayam having been marginalised. The state witnessed a silent coup by a serving ruler who has been able to unshackle himself now. There is a perception in the society that this was a drama masterly scripted and directed by Mulayam to end all challenges to his son from within and outside the party and free him of the burden of anti-incumbency as well. There is no doubt that Akhilesh has emerged as a mature leader improving upon his 'please all' but weak image prior to the drama. The way in which the media gave the family controversy full coverage helped him compete with the hi-tech campaign of his opponents, especially the BJP.
Akhilesh started making public pronouncements even while the controversy was on that he would be able to win over 300 seats if he were to have an alliance with the Congress party, the fourth contender for power in the state. It is unusual for a bigger party to seek an alliance with a smaller party. Whether it was the strategist Prashant Kishor working behind the scenes or the understanding that an alliance would make it easier for Muslims to choose between the BSP and their alliance, Akhilesh and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi finally joined hands and immediately found themselves well placed in the race for power.
(Read more) Article Source – Business Standard