Maya Raj In Uttar Pradesh

Finally the wait is over. Mayawati or i should better call 'UP ki Rani' is back in power against all the predictions in Uttar Pradesh, the most populous and fifth largest state in Republic of India. It is the state where since 1993 no single party has gained the majority in elections but this time the Bahujan Samajwadi Party, the so called party of Dalits has has broken the record by gaining the majority in the elections.

Since 1993 UP has seen only coalition government with a mix of President's Rule with Mayawati and Mulayan Singh Yadav, the Smajwadi Chief becoming the Chief Minister for short duration. It was after long time that Mulayam Singh Yadav completed full tenure of five years from 2003 to 2007.

The victory of Dalit Queen becomes important because the party which is known to be supported by Dalits was able to draw votes from Brahmins as well. This was somewhat different from what has been seen in last few elections. But hats off to tactics by Mayawati for attracting not only lower caste people but also the middle & upper class Brahmins.

A majority of people were expecting the BJP and SP to improve and form a coalition government but Mayawati had some other ideas. But there is a twist to this story as well. Its not only the Mayawati or her party's effort which helped BSP to win the elections but it was also the lack of voters (nearly 46% people voted in UP) which were majorly from lower caste and who voted against the incumbents.

India has already seen people voting against the incumbent government when UPA came to power and again the story repeated in UP. Many people might think why is this idea gaining so much momentum. According to me it is the change which is becoming part of everyone's life be it upper class or lower class. Everyone having seen false promises which do not get fulfilled after the party wins an election and the shoddy indian politics feels the need for change. Then there are people who want to engage in strategic voting and vote against the incumbent government.

But all in all this has been a thumping win by Mayawati. Lets us wait and watch for what lies in store for UP whether its rapid development in one of the most backward states or its again the repeat of what has been happening in UP uptil now.