Mayawati's Mainpuri rally aimed at multiple targets

LUCKNOW: When BSP supremo Mayawati storms into Mainpuri to address a rally on Saturday, she will not only be taking on her arch rival and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav but would also try to wrest back neighbouring Etawah, the seat represented by her mentor Kanshiram in 1991.
Bahujan Samaj Party sources said Mayawati would address a rally from Koravali, distinctly located between Mainpuri and Etawah.Before this, the dalit czarina chose Auraiya to address a rally in a bid to send a message to her dalit vote bank in Etawah.
Detailed preparations have been made by the local unit of BSP in Mainpuri to draw maximum number of supporters from as many as 20 villages in and around Mainpuri and Etawah, especially those from Jaswant Nagar, from where Mulayam's brother Shivpal Singh Yadav is an MLA.
Sources said workers have been carrying out mass contact programmes not only among dalits but also among people from the other castes such as Brahmins, Yadavs and Muslims. A BSP worker said the Bhaichara committee of BSP had been working overtime to ensure that the rally ground witnesses a massive turnout.
Sources said inputs regarding local problems, especially the deteriorating law and order situation in this otherwise VIP district, have been passed on to the BSP chief by the local unit.
"The inputs have been sent out to our leaders to be passed on to Behenji," said Deepak Painter, district president in Mainpuri.
"There have been instances of serious crimes which have gone unattended by local police," said a BSP leader. "All these issues will be taken up by Behenji," he said.
BSP has never won the Mainpuri seat largely dominated by OBCs, essentially the Yadavs. Mulayam has been a five-time MP from there. The constituency otherwise covers four assembly seats of Bhongaon, Ghiror, Karhal and Kishni, which were won by SP in the last assembly elections. BSP candidates stood second in all four.
Mayawati is also likely to repeat her appeal to Muslims to not allow their votes to get divided and benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Stakes will be high for the BSP in the constituency from where it has fielded Sanghmitra Maurya, the daughter of its national general secretary Swami Prasad Maurya. In 2009, BSP had fielded Vinay Shakya who garnered 31.5% of votes and stood second after Mulayam.
In 2004, BSP had fielded Ashok Shakya but he managed 16% of the votes.