Starting way behind her political rivals, BSP’s sole heavyweight campaigner Mayawati kicked off the party’s election campaign in Uttar Pradesh today.In Mirzapur, that used to be the constituency of slain bandit queen Phoolan Devi, Mayawati’s first official election meeting gave enough indications of the clout she holds on her electorate, mainly Chamars who are in majority in the Scheduled Caste category.The public stayed put at the venue, despite the sweltering heat, even though the BSP leader reached four hours behind schedule. ‘‘This surely was the biggest election meeting held in the district so far. As the mercury rose to 40 deg C, her listeners put up bedsheets for cover and sat singing folk songs while they waited,’’ says local journalist Vinod Pandey.With an ailing Kanshi Ram, still hospitalised, Mayawati has almost no help as far as electioneering goes. There’s no star power either to make it easier for her party at the hustings. ‘‘Chadh gundo ki chhati par, vote padega hathi par (The vote will be cast in favour of the elephant — BSP symbol — riding on the chest of the villians,’’ was the only slogan renting the air.But Mayawati made it amply clear that to capture power she would not be needing just the support of the Chamars, the community to which she belongs, but also of the Muslims and members of the upper caste. ‘‘I have given maximum tickets (30) to members of the Backward Caste followed by Muslims (20), upper caste (12) and Scheduled Castes (18),’’ she told the rally, cautioning her supporters against not to get swayed by rumours. ‘‘They (the manuwadi) can spread rumours of Kanshi Ramji passing away or even for me but do not get bogged down by such rumours,’’ she pointed out.Mayawati will be holding nearly 26 meetings to cover all the 31 seats which go to polls on April 26.
