Leaders of the Bahujan Samaj Party has just one work these days: do everything to make the eight rallies planned by party supremo Mayawati across the State successful.
On September 18, party workers from 55 Assembly constituencies of western Uttar Pradesh are expected to converge in Meerut. Thereafter, eight rallies have been scheduled in Varanasi, Agra, Faizabad, Jhansi, Moradabad, Allahabad, Gorakhpur and Lucknow.
The senior leaders say the entire party brass is leaving no stone unturned to make these rallies successful as they will be Ms. Mayawati’s first political engagement after the party’s disastrous performance in the recent Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
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Inspiring cadres
According to a senior party leader who did not want to be named, Ms. Mayawati would be seeking to “inspire and awaken demoralised party cadres”.
“This is the worst possible time for our party and its workers, as we managed to win only 19 seats in U.P., down from 80 in 2012. The worst performance since 1991, when the party won a mere 12 seats. There is frustration among party workers also because communication between the top leadership and the ordinary cadres has long ceased to operate,” said a Meerut-based BSP leader.
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“In such gloomy times, it is imperative that Behenji re-establishes dialogue with the workers and I think that is precisely what she plans to do ... inspire the cadre and rekindle their faith and trust in the leadership,” the leader, a former Minister, told The Hindu .
Crucial event
The party’s national general secretary, Munkad Ali, said the Meerut rally would be crucial as it would be Ms. Mayawati’s first major political mobilisation campaign since she resigned from the Rajya Sabha alleging that she was not allowed to raise the issue of anti-Dalit violence in Saharanpur.
“The Meerut rally will bring together workers from 55 Assembly constituencies of Moradabad, Meerut and Saharanpur divisions in western Uttar Pradesh. ,” Mr. Ali said.