They swooped in and out in their helicopters on an awestruck and ecstatic audience within hours of each other, and it was not the searing heat and a relentless afternoon sun that left the people dazed — they are the star campaigners and national chiefs of their parties. The BSP’s Mayawati and Congress President Sonia Gandhi gave the voters of Barabanki a double blockbuster — of woman power, leadership and empowerment.

But the similarity ends here. If Maya’s rallies are precise, soldiery, definitive and rigorous, Sonia’s rallies are meticulous, ceremonial, decorous and cordial. The reasons are obvious — Maya’s voters, a gritty and tenacious band of dispossessed Dalits or Scheduled Castes, are firmly committed and pledged to the BSP. And with her winning formula of getting Dalits and upper castes together, Maya’s focus is sharp and upfront. The Congress in UP, on the other hand, is bust and impoverished, desperately trying to woo back its once loyal voters, including Dalits and Brahmins, who have now found real power through other parties.

But the two suzerains steer clear of hitting out at each other. Lucknow is agog with the question — will Maya knock on Sonia’s door, or will it be an alliance the BJP again, if she is within shooting distance of seizing power in the state? Both have shown immense restrain in not only criticising each other’s parties but also from taking potshots at each other. At both rallies in Barabanki and Sitapur, in her tirade against her rivals, Mayawati has simply dismissed the Congress “as a party which will do nothing for UP, as it is more interested in ruling in Delhi.” At today’s noon rally, Sonia took a delicate swipe at Maya when she said that “parties which claim to look after Dalits have only given empty promises.”

... contd.