With just 6 MLAs left in UP, BSP seems to be loosing ground

Lucknow:The expulsion of two senior leaders of Bahujan Samaj Party seems to have further dented the party's and its president and three times chief minister Mayawati's hold over Uttar Pradesh as only six legislatures are now left in 403-member Assembly.

In the 2017 elections, the BSP had won 19 seats, but 11 MLAs among them had turned rebel. On Wednesday, Mayawati expelled state legislature party leader Lalji Verma and former state party president Ramachal Rajbhar from alleged anti-party activities.Both of them are OBC leaders and ministers in the previous Mayawati government.

“With these two senior-most leaders gone, where is the second-rung leadership in the BSP. We have only Satish Chandra Mishra, who is just the "yes man" of Mayawati,” said a BSP lawmaker here on Friday.

Though the BSP said in its statement that two senior leaders were expelled for their anti-party activities, but according to insiders there were indications that these two leaders were set to join the Samajwadi Party.

“To save the party from embarrassment, Mayawati has expelled them,” Aslam Raini, one of the rebels and MLA from Bhinga constituency in Shrawasti said.

“Mayawati believes many leaders will rejoin BSP before the elections, but the way she behaves with senior leaders, one will think twice before joining her party,” he said.In the recent past many senior leaders have left the party.

The list includes Nassimuddin Sididiqui, R K Chaudhury, former MLA Ravindra Molhu, former Meerut mayor Sunita Varma, former MLA Yogesh Varma, senior party leader Sunil Chittor, former MLA Kalicharan Suman, Narain Singh Suman, Tilakchand Ahirwar, Veeru Suman, Bhartendu Arun, Malkhan Singh Vyas, Kamal Gautam, Prem Chand and Vikram Singh.

The majority of those who are expelled are Dalits. “With these expulsions what message she is trying to give to the Dalits,” asked a Dalit leader in the party.

The BSP’s politics revolves around Dalit, which is approximately 21 per cent of the total UP population. Mayawati is eyeing Muslims, who account for 19 per cent of the population, by making Guddu Jamali the Leader of the BSP legislature party.

“Jamaali is no match to Lalji Verma or Nasimuddin Siddiqui who were shown the door by Mayawati. The vote base of the party is eroding fast and such decisions could prove detrimental for BSP,” Nomita P Kumar, a political analyst in Giri Institute of Development Studies (GIDS), Lucknow said.

Sources said that in several districts, party leaders have either been expelled or have left the party. In the last two years, 17 BSP leaders from Pratapgarh, including former Patti assembly constituency in-charge RK Bhim, joined the SP.

Former BSP Minister Ghura Ram, former Mau BSP district president Ashok Gautam, former BSP state president Dayaram Pal and former Ballia district chief, Mithailal Bharati also left the BSP, accusing the party of deviating from the ideals of Dalit leader BR Ambedkar and the party's founder Kanshi Ram.Ironically, the BSP will test the waters of the 2022 Assembly elections with just six MLAs and zero MPs.(UNI)