Mayawati Eyes UP's Muslim Vote With Hope And A Strategy

Lucknow: Mohammad Islam, the candidate from Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP walks door to door in Western Uttar Pradesh's Shamli, telling voters why they must vote for the elephant. The Shamli seat is held by the Congress, which has fielded its sitting lawmaker Pankaj Mallik again, this time strengthened by its alliance with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's Samjawadi Party.

Shamli has 30 per cent Muslim voters and the Congress and Samajwadi Party, who have as rivals split the community's vote in UP in several elections, are counting on the consolidation. But this year, these two parties are not alone in eyeing UP's Muslim vote bank, a significant 18 per cent in the state and much higher in Western UP districts like Shamli. Mayawati has fielded a record 97 Muslim candidates in this year's battle for UP, which has 403 seats.  

While the Congress and Samajwadi Party have announced their alliance, and so their candidates, only now, 20 days before elections begin, the BSP had finalised its candidates almost a month ago and hopes that will give it an edge, especially in more than 200 seats in the state where the margin between the BSP and the winner in the last election was very slim.

In one of every seven seats in UP where there was a direct contest between the regional heavyweights SP and the BSP in 2012, the margin of victory was less than 1 per cent. That however translated to the Samajwadi Party forming the government with 229 seats, overthrowing the BSP, which won 80. The BJP had won 47 seats and the Congress 29; Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has said as partners the SP and Congress can win over 300.  

Maywati calculates that her party is challenged by none for the Dalit vote, 20 per cent in UP, and adding a chunk of the Muslim vote can help her get to Lucknow again. She is also counting on the recent family feud in the Samajwadi Party denting its appeal somewhat among Muslims - Akhilesh Yadav, now in charge, is not known to woo Muslims as aggressively as his father Mulayam Singh Yadav.  

"Muslims did vote for the Samajwadi Party last time, but they have realised that it presided over violence in this area and the party has done nothing for them," said Mohhamad Islam. He is very sure that the alliance with the Congress will make no difference.

"People know not to waste their vote on the BSP. Akhilesh Yadav has done good work and the Congress has always worked for all sections," said Congress lawmaker Pankaj Mallik.

Shamli is adjacent to Muzaffarnagar, the epicentre of deadly communal violence in 2013 in which 62 people were killed, and witnessed riots too. Months later, the BJP swept UP in the 2014 national elections winning 71 of 80 seats.

Shamli and the rest of Western UP will vote in the first phase of the elections on February 11. The Uttar Pradesh elections are being held in seven phases and votes will be counted on March 11.