Uttar Pradesh: Women power to take on BJP’s might this election
Subhash Mishra | TNN | Updated: Mar 12, 2019, 07:29 IST
(From left to right) Mayawati, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Dimple YadavLUCKNOW: When Prime Minister Narendra Modi leads the BJP in Uttar Pradesh in campaigning to look for a repeat of 2014, when it swept the elections by winning 71 out of the 80 MP seats in the state, he will be up against three strong women leaders.
While Mayawati, whose Bahujan Samaj Party was reduced to zero seats in 2014, is buoyed this time by her party’s tie up with Samajwadi Party, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s entry into active politics – with a special role in UP — and SP MP Dimple Yadav being given a ticket despite party chief and husband Akhilesh Yadav saying that she would not contest this time to end “pariwarvad” have added strong woman power in the Opposition ranks this time.
It remains to be seen if this is able to take on the Modi magic in the elections, which begin on April 11, to give advantage to their parties.
Mayawati, four-time chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, still holds sway over Dalit votes across the country, despite losing one election after another since 2009.
If Mayawati still remains a strong Dalit leader, it is because she still has a tight grip over the 22% SCs and partly among the upper castes. The latter has also led to her experimenting with and succeeding on social engineering involving Brahmins. Priyanka’s debut, with main focus on Uttar Pradesh, has not only added charisma in these elections, it has also reinvigorated the rank and file of a moribund Congress. Being already hailed as the new Indira Gandhi, her entry has added spark among Congress foot soldiers.
While strong women leaders like Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in the Congress have remained largely focussed on national politics, Priyanka’s UP-centric role is being seen as a good sign for the party in the state.
Dimple Yadav, a two-time MP from Kannauj, has emerged as a strong leader in the SP despite working under the towering shadow of party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and chief Akhilesh Yadav.
She is known to advise Akhilesh on crucial political matters and party affairs. It is learnt that it was on Dimple’s advise that SP announced tickets to women on International Women’s Day.
While Mayawati, whose Bahujan Samaj Party was reduced to zero seats in 2014, is buoyed this time by her party’s tie up with Samajwadi Party, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s entry into active politics – with a special role in UP — and SP MP Dimple Yadav being given a ticket despite party chief and husband Akhilesh Yadav saying that she would not contest this time to end “pariwarvad” have added strong woman power in the Opposition ranks this time.
It remains to be seen if this is able to take on the Modi magic in the elections, which begin on April 11, to give advantage to their parties.
Mayawati, four-time chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, still holds sway over Dalit votes across the country, despite losing one election after another since 2009.
If Mayawati still remains a strong Dalit leader, it is because she still has a tight grip over the 22% SCs and partly among the upper castes. The latter has also led to her experimenting with and succeeding on social engineering involving Brahmins. Priyanka’s debut, with main focus on Uttar Pradesh, has not only added charisma in these elections, it has also reinvigorated the rank and file of a moribund Congress. Being already hailed as the new Indira Gandhi, her entry has added spark among Congress foot soldiers.
While strong women leaders like Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in the Congress have remained largely focussed on national politics, Priyanka’s UP-centric role is being seen as a good sign for the party in the state.
Dimple Yadav, a two-time MP from Kannauj, has emerged as a strong leader in the SP despite working under the towering shadow of party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and chief Akhilesh Yadav.
She is known to advise Akhilesh on crucial political matters and party affairs. It is learnt that it was on Dimple’s advise that SP announced tickets to women on International Women’s Day.
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