A section of Young activists, affiliated with various front organizations of the Bahujan Samaj Party in Agra, has demanded that Behanji should be the next president of India.

Popular social activists Naresh Paras and Girish Anjan said “Behan Mayawati’s contribution to radicalize the Dalit movement and as chief minister of UP many of the laudable initiatives to raise the living standards of the weaker sections of the society, has been widely appreciated. In the Agra region, the Dalit samaj is firmly behind her. Many among the younger generation, believe she is fit material for presidentship.”

Though the Bhartiya Janata Party has so far made no overtures to the BSP supremo, poll pundits in Agra see the end of the road for Mayawati, who on her own steam, and doubtful support from the Brahmin community this time, looks in no position to sail through the political turbulence in UP which will have assembly elections in 2022 summer.

The rank and file of the BSP exude no hope or excitement. Local leaders are clearly confused as the party continues to be marginalized after 2012. The deep frustration in the cadre of the BSP is the result of the gnawing feeling of utter irrelevance of the party in the current political scenario and the Supremo Mayawati who looks fatigued and spent out.

On its own, the BSP can not romp home at the hustings. It needs tactical partnerships with communities, vote banks, and popular dissidents from other parties. But the general perception right now is that the BSP is a sinking ship. Mayawati has not been active after its poor show in 2017. The party machine is jaded and disillusionment with the leadership is at an all-time high, say the workers at the grassroots. Some even questioned Mayawati’s contribution to the raging battle against Covid-19.

Right now the voters are neither angry nor too happy with the Yogi Adityanath government in Lucknow, according to poll watchers in the city which has a sizeable population of Dalits, mostly engaged in the shoe industry.

“These last four years have seen social tranquility, though vain efforts were made to flare up the Hathras gangrape incident. Prompt intervention by the judiciary and the proactive approach of the chief minister helped defuse the tension,” observed a local Dalit leader.

Also to be noted is the fact that the number of beneficiaries of a slew of welfare measures taken both by the center and the state government has been continuously rising. Even during the Covid-19 first and the second wave, help poured in from all ends, and cases of chill penury or acute deprivation were few, according to a social activist.

Naresh Paras, a prominent activist working for the downtrodden said “chances are that a section of the Dalit votes would go to Chandra Shekhar of the Bhim Army, a chunk could go with the BJP but the bulk of the conventional Dalit votes will remain loyal to Bahenji. Though the Congress, too has been trying hard to woo the Dalit votes, it is doubtful if a swing in favor of the Congress could now be engineered.”

An analysis of the voting trends and figures points to a gradual decline in the BSP’s fortunes, after it swept to power in 2007 winning 206 seats out of 403, with a vote share of 30.43 percent. In the 2012 assembly polls, Mayawati could win only 80 seats. Its share of votes fell to 25.91 percent. In 2017, the BSP could win only 19 seats with a vote share of 22.14 percent. In the recent Panchayat polls, the party fared poorly, further demoralizing the rank and file.

In Rajasthan and MP, too, BSP has failed to improve its performance and looks set for a total wipeout.

Poll pundits say that the BSP’s loss has been the BJP’s gain, as saffron brigades operating at different levels have heavily dented the Mayawati vote bank which was estimated to be between 18 to 21 percent.

Reports suggest that the BSP supremo has no option other than supporting the Yogi government, in return for a vice-presidential position, or maybe as a new tenant of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

“For the BJP, it is more important to consolidate Hindutva votes, bring all layers of the Hindu society under a common umbrella, than sharing power with XYZ,” a VHP youth leader said.

Political commentator Paras Nath Choudhary opined that the BJP should definitely try to persuade Mayawati to ally with the NDA and if necessary should offer the vice-presidential position to her. “Given the challenges India faces, it is necessary to strengthen nationalist forces and bridge the communication gaps among different layers of the society. The need of the hour is to integrate the Dalits with the national mainstream and to work this out there is no harm in bargaining a deal with Mayawati,” Choudhary said.