Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati may have done little to improve the lives of Dalits on the ground, but she has done one thing - given them a sense of self worth. And that's why survivors of the 2004 sari stampede in Lucknow want to see her as the next Prime Minister.
Survivors of the Lucknow sari stampede, in which 22 Dalit women were killed just before the last Lok Sabha elections.
They had come to attend Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lalji Tandon's birthday bash, in return for a Rs 40 sari and votes for the party.
Although former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee won the seat, the tragedy dimmed the BJP's India Shining campaign.
This time Lalji Tandon himself is contesting from Lucknow, against the BSP's Dr Akhilesh Das, who has replaced the sari with a steel tiffin and plastic fan.
They cost the same. So why is this gift more acceptable?
"He has distributed them at home, with honour. Not thrown it at us like we were dogs," said a Dalit woman.
But dignity has not come with electricity in their homes, or jobs for their sons outside. Still they don't blame Mayawati for it, or for doing nothing to help victims of the sari stampede.
"She is doing her best for the people. What can she do if her orders are not followed by upper caste officials? We will still vote for her," said a resident.
The BSP may have long ceased to be a Dalit party, but the Dalits in Lucknow have only one election issue - Mayawati for PM.