IPA Newspack
  • Home
  • now
  • politics
  • business
  • markets

IPA /

IPA Special

IPA Special

What is Mayawati’s Game plan beyond Chhattisgarh?

By Amulya Ganguli

Mayawati may have botched her own chances of being one of the front-runners in the prime ministerial race among the national opposition parties by her self-serving manoeuvres in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

From now on, she will generally be perceived as being in the BJP’s corner perhaps even in UP where her tie-up with the Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav is expected to reduce the BJP’s tally in the state to a single digit, down from the present 73 out of 80.

In fact, it is now open to question whether the bua-bhatija (aunt-brother’s son) camaraderie of Mayawati and Akhilesh will at all last since the latter’s offer of 36 seats to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) czarina may not match her expectations of what she regards as a “respectable” figure in case she is bent on breaking the partnership.

It doesn’t take much political perspicacity to guess that the BJP is pulling out all the stops to wean her away from the Samajwadi Party. The Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo has already tasted blood by wrecking the chances of a Congress-BSP alliance in Chhattisgarh and possibly Madhya Pradesh as well where Mayawati has already announced her list of 22 candidates.

But, for the BJP, UP is the big prize. If it can create a rift between bua and bhatija, the outcome of the Gorakhpur, Phulpur, Kairana and Noorpur by-elections where the BJP was routed will be no more than a bad dream.

What does Mayawati get out of it apart from a reprieve from the disproportionate assets cases against her and her kith and kin by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate?

Since the BJP is expected to be a weaker party post-2019 than what it was immediately after 2014, those in close touch with it (like Nitish Kumar) are banking on the possibility of gaining in prominence. Mayawati probably has similar calculations in mind.

Besides, she may have realized that for all the talk about her becoming the prime minister (which has been in the air since Prakash Karat’s anti-American misadventure of 2008), her earlier alliances with the BJP and her legal vulnerabilities vis-à-vis her opulent lifestyle may mar her chances of being the first choice of the national opposition, not least because of the presence of other contenders like Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee.

And now, she has even less of a chance since the latest rounds of her politicking are bound to be seen as helpful to the BJP. Moreover, other challengers have emerged within her own community who may be preferred by the national opposition because of their resolute anti-BJP stance.

Among them are Jignesh Mewani, the Gujarat legislator, and Chandrasekhar Azad ‘Ravan’, the leader of the Bhim Army, who came into prominence during the Dalit-Rajput clashes in Saharanpur, UP a year ago and was incarcerated under the National Security Act till recently.

Although Chandrashekhar also called Mayawati his bua, she rebuffed the overture, presumably because she believed that the new generation of Dalit leaders with their clean images would steal a march over her where popular appeal, especially among the youth, and political dependability are concerned.

It is obvious that her dalliance with the BJP will not go down well with the Dalits who have long been disenchanted with the Brahmin-Bania party although it tried to make amends by choosing a Dalit as the President. However, such tokenism does not work in these cynical times.

It may not be too far-fetched to suggest that Mayawati may well be contesting her last major election since the chances of the youngsters gradually taking her place in the “secular” camp are high.

If the proposed Congress-BSP alliances fail to take off in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the Congress would do well to reach an understanding with Jignesh Mewani, as it did in Gujarat, and with Chandrasekhar to keep the support of the Dalits on its side and ensure that the anti-BJP votes are not split as a result of Amit Shah’s machinations.

The uncertainty about Mayawati’s place in an opposition alliance means that notwithstanding the bonhomie which she displayed with Sonia Gandhi at HD Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in as the Karnataka chief minister in Bengaluru last May, the non-BJP camp can be said to be slowly acquiring a reliable shape.

It can now be said to comprise the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Samajwadi Party, the Nationalist Congress Party, the Janata Dal (Secular), the DMK, the RashtriyaLok Dal and the Left parties. This “core” is likely to survive till 2019.

There are, of course, others who can be roped in, such as the YSR Congress or the AamAdmi Party. But the Congress’s generally standoffish attitude can be a hindrance in this respect.

In addition, there are the fence-sitters – the Biju Janata Dal being the foremost among them. They can be left alone so that they can jump on to the winning side after the elections. (IPA Service)

The post What is Mayawati’s Game plan beyond Chhattisgarh? appeared first on Newspack by India Press Agency.

IPA Newspack

IPA Special

More Russian Oil Is Making Backdoor Entry Into NATO Nations Via Saudi Arabia, UAE

June 5, 2023
IPA Special

Questions Galore About BRS Decision Not To Join Crucial Opposition Conclave

June 5, 2023
IPA Special

Secure Railway System To Prevent Balasore Like Deadly Accidents

June 5, 2023
IPA Special

Opposition Is Looking Confident Of Defeating RSS-BJP Combine In 2024

June 5, 2023
Happening Now

CBI to take over probe into Odisha train tragedy

June 5, 2023
IPA Special

More Jitters For Narendra Modi-Led BJP Before 2024 Polls

June 5, 2023
IPA Special

Uptick In Q4 GDP Growth Is Positive But Challenges Remain In Current Fiscal

June 5, 2023
IPA Special

Bengal BJP In A Quandary Over Holding 1,000 Meetings In Four Months

June 5, 2023
Happening Now

Amit Shah assurance to wrestlers on due course of law

June 5, 2023
Politics

Row over Karnataka minister’s remark on cow slaughter

June 5, 2023
Politics

No intent to address safety lapse: Kharge tells Modi

June 5, 2023
Politics

Modi driving car looking into rearview mirror, says Rahul

June 5, 2023
Politics

Rahul says people of India, and not just Cong, will defeat BJP

June 4, 2023
Politics

Mehbooba gets a passport after three-year wait

June 4, 2023
Politics

Rail minister says no time for politics after spat with Mamata

June 4, 2023
Politics

Sibal cites govt inadequacies behind Odisha rail tragedy

June 4, 2023
Politics

Rare show of appreciation for Modi from Sam Pitroda

June 4, 2023
IPA Special

Nepalese Prime Minister’s Four Day Visit Bring Ties With India Closer

June 3, 2023
IPA Special

What Will Be India’s Response To US’s Bid To Offer NATO+ Membership

June 3, 2023
IPA Special

Narendra Modi Has Been Most Successful In Using Technology For Governance

June 3, 2023

An appeal

The legacy of IPA, founded by Nikhil Chakravartty, the doyen of journalism in India, to keep the flag of independent media flying high, is facing the threat of extinction due to the effect of the Covid pandemic. Only an emergency funding can avert such an eventuality. We appeal to all those who believe in the freedom of expression to contribute to this noble cause.
Click here to learn more

Share

Reply

  • 0
More on IPA

More Russian Oil Is Making Backdoor Entry Into NATO Nations Via Saudi Arabia, UAE

June 5, 2023 3:56 pm | IPA Staff

By Nantoo Banerjee The cat is out of the bag. India is not the only country using imported Russian oil to export processed petro-products. West...

IPA Special

Questions Galore About BRS Decision Not To Join Crucial Opposition Conclave

June 5, 2023 3:46 pm | IPA Staff

By Sushil Kutty Sulking is common to non-BJP Chief Ministers. And opposition unity suffers. Right now the tribe of non-BJP Chief Ministers sees opportunity in...

IPA Special

Secure Railway System To Prevent Balasore Like Deadly Accidents

June 5, 2023 3:33 pm | IPA Staff

By Dr. Gyan Pathak Only few years ago, the Union Minister of Railways had claimed in the Parliament of India that they made railway journey...

IPA Special

Opposition Is Looking Confident Of Defeating RSS-BJP Combine In 2024

June 5, 2023 2:28 pm | IPA Staff

By Arun Srivastava For nine long years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been dictating political actions in India, but the expected opposition meet will not...

IPA Special

More Russian Oil Is Making Backdoor Entry Into NATO Nations Via Saudi Arabia, UAE

in IPA Special
Jun 5, 2023   ·  

Questions Galore About BRS Decision Not To Join Crucial Opposition Conclave

in IPA Special
Jun 5, 2023   ·  

Secure Railway System To Prevent Balasore Like Deadly Accidents

in IPA Special
Jun 5, 2023   ·  

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Follow us on
Up Next: RSS Has A Bigger Plan For Hindu Rashtra
©2020 -2021 India Press Agency, All Rights Reserved.
Newspack by India Press Agency | Statement of Ownership | Contact Us
logo
  • Home
  • now
  • politics
  • business
  • markets