Undeterred by the exodus of her leaders, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati could be the first one to announce the list of her candidates for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.
Amidst the chances of a bi-polar contest in UP polls this time between Samajwadi Party and Bhartiya Janta Party, Maya is confident about her vote bank and a possible swing of Brahmin voters like the 2007 assembly election. Sensing the annoyance of the Brahmin community with the ruling BJP, Maya has projected her trusted lieutenant S.C. Mishra as the chief campaigner this time. Till date, Mishra has addressed 96 rallies of BSP in various parts of the state while Maya herself has attended only two. Both Maya and S.C. Mishra have decided not to contest assembly polls and instead focus on campaigning for party candidates.
Considered as underdogs this time, BSP has geared itself for digital campaigning too. The party has made elaborate arrangements to live telecast the digital rallies of Mayawati and a team of digital volunteers has been constituted. Maya’s nephew Akash Anand has been made in charge of the digital wing of BSP. On Monday, Maya had called upon leaders of her party in Lucknow and asked them to follow the covid related guidelines issued by the election commission. She asked leaders to support candidates in launching a digital campaign. BSP general secretary S.C. Mishra has been asked to lead the digital campaign of the party in the entire state. Lagging behind others in digital war, BSP has now asked all its candidates, party functionaries and zonal in charges to concentrate on new media and spread the messages of Mayawati through Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook.
The BSP supremo has also asked party workers to start door-to-door campaigning in the wake of covid and try to reach every households in their respective constituencies. The party would provide a booklet of works done by it while being in government to every worker for distribution. The digital wing of BSP would spread messages carrying developmental works done during Maya’s tenure.
It may be mentioned that a large number of BSP leaders including sitting legislators have ditched Maya in the recent past to join other parties. While most of them have joined Samajwadi brigade a few have opted for BJP.
Meanwhile BSP supremo has decided to release the first list of its candidates on January 15, her birthday. Unlike previous years, there would not be any grand function on the occasion of Mayawati’s birthday this year. Maya would only digitally address party workers on this day and release the list of its candidates. According to a senior BSP leader, ahead of all parties Maya had finalized the name of her candidates much before and now only a formal announcement would be made on Jan 15.
