Akhilesh Yadav eyes Mayawati's Dalit vote bank, woos former BSP leaders

With their short-lived bonhomie over, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav has set his eyes on the Dalit vote bank of (Bahujan Samaj Party) BSP supremo Mayawati and has been wooing former BSP leaders, who had either quit the party or were expelled.

According to the sources in the SP, Akhilesh has promised to nominate the former BSP leaders, who are MLAs, from their home constituencies in the upcoming assembly polls, which are due in around eight months.

Barely a couple of days back, the son of Sukhdeo Rabhar, one of the founding members of the BSP, joined the SP. Rajbhar, who was an MLA from Didarganj assembly seat in Azamgarh district, announced his retirement from politics.

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In an open letter, Rajbhar launched a subtle attack on Mayawati saying that the BSP had 'deviated' from its ideology and that SP was a better choice for his son.

Sources in SP said that the party was also wooing expelled BSP leaders Lalji Verma and Ram Achal Rajbhar, who too were members of the assembly.

''We are in talks with them...we have no problem in nominating them from their respective assembly seats,'' said a senior SP leader while speaking to DH on Monday.

''These former BSP leaders command respect among their communities...we will give them the respect they deserve,'' the SP leader added.

SP leaders think that the strategy of inducting the former BSP leaders may help the party reap rich electoral dividends, especially in the eastern UP region, where SP's traditional voters (Yadavs and Muslims) are in sizable numbers.

At least six BSP legislators have already joined that SP.

BSP had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the SP and had managed to win ten seats in UP. It was then expected that BSP and SP could fight the 2022 assembly poll in UP together. The bonhomie between the two arch-rivals, however, was short-lived and they parted ways soon after the LS polls.

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