0 Loksabha MP, 0 Rajyasabha MP and only 1 MLA but still
@Mayawati most prized and sought after politician in the entire nation. The question is why ?
1. Biggest Icon for Dalit Honour
Decorated as 4 times CM, Mayawati is the biggest Dalit leader because she became CM either due to alliance's political equations or due to her party' hardwork. Unlike other Dalit CMs, who were appointed because of their high commands' pleasure or loyalty, she didn't become one. She created a CM post for own with full majority in 2007, thanks to social engineering. ' हिंदी में बोले तो बिना किसी अनुकंपा के मुख्यमंत्री बनी।
2. Commands 100 percent transferable vote.
Mayawati is probably the sole leader in India who commands the full loyalty of her votebank. Her voters are so loyal that even if the BSP candidate is destined to lose from any constituency, they will still vote wholeheartedly for the candidate or alliance partner. For ex, the BSP contested the UP Assembly elections in alliance with the SP in 1993 in aftermath of Babri demolition. In this election, the BSP contested 164 seats and won 67 seats and both parties formed coalition govt. In 1996 elections, Akali Dal-BSP alliance swept the state of Punjab, winning 11 out of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. She also aligned with SP in 2019 Loksabha but it didn't work big way since mainly because many of her supporters bitterly remembered 1995 Guest House incident. ' वोट खराब हो गया ' जैसी कोई चीज बसपा वोटरों के लिए मायने नहीं रखतीं मोटे तौर पर।
3. Unique political capital
Mayawati has a unique political capital. Unlike many other contemporary leaders, she can start anytime as her base support, 'Jatavs,' are continuously voting for her (though support dwindling now) despite adverse political dividends. They are voting for BSP like Baniyas, who vote for BJP from very beginning and stood like rock through thick and thin and saw 2019 when BJP won 302 Loksabha seats. ' पुतला भी खड़ा करेंगे तो वोट मिलेगा, भले ही पार्टी चुनाव हार जाए ' ।
4. Still a force to reckon with
Mayawati may be 'comprised', dormant, inactive but still she is not discredited amongst her voters because they believe that she has compulsions, best known only to her. For them, she has not 'betrayed' them. Her heir, Akash Anand, too has spark and many believe that he has not been utilised fully. In 2019, BSP got almost 20 percent votes in UP. Remember, If Mayawati takes out one UP/countryside Yatra, it can propel her on national stage big time and decide on many electoral battles like 2027 and 2029. ' वक़्त खराब है आज पर शायद भविष्य में किस्मत साथ दे।
5. Rahul Gandhi - The Vaccum filler
Unlike many, not for sake of political correctness, Ambedkar followers and a big chunk of Dalit community consider Indian constitution a sacred book, worth fighting for. When in 2024, Rahul Gandhi flashed it's pocket copy in election rallies, he attracted Dalit voters. Disenchanted with BSP, many of them followed RG and I personally know non-political people spending from own pocket, campaigning for Congress. If Mayawati remain absent from Dalit space, Rahul Gandhi is all set to fill the vaccum. ' आपकी हानि से पक्का इस दुनिया में किसी ना किसी को लाभ होता ।