The party’s groundwork in almost every state provides an insight into her game plan (see box) to force regional parties to accept her as a force to be reckoned with. “She is not only popular but also in a position to damage the electoral prospect of regional political parties in several states,” a BSP source, who is associated with organisational matters, explained.

In Kerala, the Mayawati has approved the candidates for 13 of the total 20 seats. “We had contested 106 out of the total 140 seats in the last Assembly election in Kerala and vote share was about 1.24 per cent. This is for the first time when we are going to contest all the seats in Kerala,” Suresh Manse who is in-charge of the Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh told this reporter.

The party is also being noticed in Karnataka. “We have worked a lot to woo the Madiga, Gohara and Holia castes. Within the Lingayat community, there are several castes and they have been also covered under the party’s Bhaichara committees,” a source in BSP disclosed. The party has already announced 15 candidates out of the total 28 seats. “Soon the names of the rest of the candidates would be announced,” the party’s Karnataka in-charge Veer Singh said.

Madhya Pradesh

“We receive an average seven to eight applications from those hoping to be the party’s candidate in every constituency of this state,” said Narayan Prasad Ahirwar who heads the BSP’s Madhya Pradesh unit.

... contd.