UP bypolls: Mayawati’s silence raises eyebrows

LUCKNOW: Even as the joint opposition celebrated over the victories in the Kairana and Noorpur bypolls on Thursday, BSP Supremo Mayawati was conspicuous by her studied silence. While she had not declared support openly for the SP-RLD combine this time, unlike the Gorakhpur and Phoolpur bye-elections in March, it is learnt that she had asked her cadre to work along with the opposition parties on ground.
Not only did Mayawati not react to SP-RLD’s crucial victories in both seats, while she is known to respond almost immediately to matters concerning BJP, she also did not speak out on the large scale failure of VVPAT machines that required a repoll in 73 booths in the Kairana constituency. This, when Mayawati has usually been the first to speak on the matter during an election. In fact, on Wednesday SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said that he would appeal to all opposition parties to raise the issue with the election commission even as most other parties had already spoken out on the matter.

Political experts said that Mayawati is playing a tactical game to drive a hard bargain with parties like SP in Uttar Pradesh and Congress in Madhya Pradesh. Days before the Kairana and Nurpur bypolls, she had announced to her party workers that if BSP did not get “respectable seats”, BSP should be prepared to fight alone.

“Mayawati is the only leader in India right now who can transfer her votes. She has demonstrated this in the Gorakhpur and Noorpur bye-elections and to some extent in Karnataka. No other party can boast of this. By keeping her cards close to her chest, she is showing herself as the mature politician that she is. Her comment on SP chief Akhilesh Yadav after the UP Rajya Sabha elections, where she called him politically immature, was a thought through statement and she will ensure that she gets a good deal in both UP and MP,” said sources.