'Mahgathbandhan' in UP: Maya gains, Akhilesh loser

The much touted 'Mahagathbandhan' may have been decimated in Uttar Pradesh by the saffron wave but BSP supremo Mayawati has emerged as a huge gainer from the alliance.

The BSP, which had drawn a blank in the state in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, won 12 seats in UP indicating that her party gained from the transfer of the SP votes to its kitty.

BSP nominees registered victory mainly in the western, central and eastern regions of the state. The party managed to wrest Sambhal, Moradabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Bijnore, Nagina, Lalganj, Saharanpur and Sant Kabir Nagar seats from the BJP despite the 'Modi Wave'.

According to the political experts here, the gains for Mayawati clearly indicated that the SP was able to transfer its votes to the BSP, though the vice-versa did not happen. It was reflected in the severe drubbing suffered by the SP in the polls.

''Mayawati has certainly gained... even if the Mahagathbandhan had worked well, her party would not have expected to get more than 15-20 seats... the loser is the SP,'' said Prof. Dinesh Kumar, a former faculty at Lucknow University.

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He said that BSP victory on several seats in the Muslim dominated west UP region indicated that she had managed to regain the confidence of the community.

Besides, the BSP had failed to register its presence on even the reserved seats in the 2014 LS polls. This time, however, BSP managed to win a few reserved seats.

According to the sources in the BSP here, Mayawati would be looking to consolidate her gains in the days to come especially in the next Assembly polls in, which were scheduled to be held in 2022.