Maya to undertake major rejig in BSP

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has decided to undertake a major rejig in the party organisation in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh to “prepare” it for the Assembly polls in the state due in early 2017.

The move comes after the BSP’s humiliation at the hustings in the recent Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly elections, and is fuelled by the fear that the party could be forced to the margins in state electoral politics.

 The BSP’s poor performance in the two states could cost the party its national status, according to the party leaders. BSP sources here said Mayawati was mulling showing the door to many senior leaders and replace them with fresh faces.  

“Several senior state-level party functionaries could be replaced with new but dedicated workers,” said a senior leader here. He added that Mayawati had hinted at “revisiting” the party's electoral strategy for the next Assembly polls.

He said that at a recent party meeting here, the BSP chief had asked party leaders to work among Dalits and members of the upper caste to “bring them back” to the party fold.  “In the recent Lok Sabha polls, a major chunk of our core vote bank of Dalits and also a large chunk of the Brahmin voters had backed the BJP,” said the leader.

The BSP leadership, according to the leader, felt that Dalits might have voted for the BJP to ensure the defeat of Samajwadi Party (SP) candidates.”