Bahujan Samaj Party, the third political force in Uttarakhand is banking on the charisma of the party head Mayawati to garner votes in the mountain state. She would address two election rallies on February 8 and 9 in the state.
The state party unit has succeeded in persuading Mayawati to take out time from her busy schedule in Uttar Pradesh and address party rallies in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar. The President of state party unit Bhrigurasion Rao said that the party supremo would address a rally at Udham Singh Nagar on February 8 while on February 9 she would address a rally at laksar in Haridwar district. The party has released its list of 50 candidates and the names of the remaining candidates are expected to be released soon.
The venues selected for election rallies of Mayawati give a clear indication that the party is only focusing on the districts of Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar. Both these districts have a sizeable population of Dalit and Muslims, the traditional 'vote banks' of the party in the state. Haridwar district with a population of about 7 lakh dalit and muslim voters holds the key for party's performance in state
In Haridwar the party won five assembly seats in the elections of the year 2002 and improved to six seats in the assembly elections of 2007 but in the elections of 2012 the party could manage to win only three seats in the district. Udham Singh Nagar district is the other district in state apart from Haridwar where BSP is a force to reckon with. It won Sitarganj and Pantnagar- Gadarpur seats in the elections of 2002 and 2007.
The State vice president of BSP Dr Rajesh Pal told The Pioneer that BSP is a cadre based party and the election campaign is going on smoothly.
He said that electoral prospects of party candidates in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar would get a boost by the election rallies of Behenji (Mayawati). Many however don’t give much of a chance to the party in the bi-polar politics of state where BJP and Congress call the shots. “The graph of BSP in the state has witnessed a slide in the past three assembly elections which shows that the party is on a losing ground in the State. The BSP sympathisers are turning away from the party as the elected MlAs of the BSP leave the party after winning,’’ said one of a party workers.