In January 2017, just weeks ahead of voting for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls campaign, the Bahujan Samaj Party, desperate to return to power, made a risky move of welcoming into its ranks criminally tainted MLA from Purvanchal, Mukhtar Ansari, his brothers Afzal Ansari and Sigbatullah Ansari, and son Abbas.
The Ansaris had been shunned by Mayawati's opponent and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav as part of his clean-image drive.
While defending the induction of the jailed MLA Mukhtar Ansari, Ms. Mayawati had said that, "There are bigger goondas in other parties," as she suggested that many of the criminal cases against Mr. Mukhtar Ansari were nor genuine. Ms. Mayawati had hoped to reap benefit from the clout the Ansaris held in pockets of Purvanchal — Ghazipur, Mau, Ballia and Varanasi-- while also sending a larger message to the Muslims as part of her strategy — later proven a failure — to unite the Dalit and Muslim voters.
Politics seems to have come a full circle for the Ansaris and the two non-BJP parties. On Friday, Ms. Mayawati announced that Mr. Mukhtar Ansari would not be fielded by the BSP from Mau in 2022 Assembly polls as part of the BSP's attempt to keep away from candidates who are dubbed mafia or Bahubali .
"In the upcoming U.P. Vidhan Sabha election, the BSP will try that no Bahubali or mafia gets to contest election from the party," she said, declaring that Bheem Rajbhar would be the new candidate from Mau.
Mr. Rajbhar is the BSP's State president and belongs to the OBC Rajbhar community. And through this announcement, which Ms. Mayawati tweeted, she could be also sending a message to the Rajbhar community of Purvanchal.
It must be noted that only recently Akhilesh Yadav, in his own reversal of past strategy, had welcomed Mr. Mukhtar Ansari's brother and former MLA Sigbatullah Ansari into his party, leading to jibes from the ruling BJP. Abbas Ansari had lost the 2017 election narrowly on a BSP symbol while Mr. Afzal Ansari won the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Ghazipur on a BSP ticket when the party fought in alliance with the SP.
Ms. Mayawati said her decision to shun Mr. Mukhtar Ansari was taken as part of her attempts to meet the "expectations" of the public and clearing this test. She appealed her party office-bearers that while they select candidates they keep their background in mind so that if the BSP forms government, it does not face any obstacles in taking "tough action against such elements."
The BSP was committed to the paradigm of " kanoon dwara kanoon ka raj " or the rule of law, and changing the face of U.P., she added.
The BSP has focused on appeasing Brahmins ahead of the 2022 polls and also promised that that she would no longer build memorials, parks of statues of OBC and Dalit icons but also work to serve the interests of the Brahmin community if voted to power for the fifth time.
