Move over Modi, Kejriwal and Rahul: Mayawati will address most number of rallies in Delhi

The poll battle in Delhi is between the BJP and the AAP but guess the chief of which party would be addressing the maximum of number of rallies in the capital state? It’s Mayawati, the leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party. According to a senior party leader, she will be addressing as many as 14 rallies while the BJP’s mascot Narendra Modi will be addressing only four and the Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi even less. Mayawati, who has been maintaining a low profile ever since her party failed to win even a single seat in the general election of 2014, will be all out in full force to woo the Dalit community once again. Her party has fielded candidates in all 70 seats in Delhi. [caption id=“attachment_2072591” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “] BSP chief Mayawati. AFP[/caption] Talking about the mood in the party, the senior leader revealed that it has been quite depressing in the last few months. “Workers were demoralised as we were underperforming election after elections. We didn’t win anything in the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana either,” the senior BSP leader said. “However, we have regrouped since then and will give our heart and soul into the Delhi elections,” he added. A close aide of Mayawati revealed that she has asked party leaders to organise two rallies in all seven parliamentary constituencies, specifically concentrating on the areas which have higher Dalit population. The party has fielded candidates from all 70 seats in Delhi. Much like how AAP volunteers are coming from other states to support the party in the Delhi Polls, BSP have also mobilised senior party leaders and workers from UP to assist their Delhi team in the upcoming polls. Though, BSP’s recent performance may not have grabbed eyeballs, the party is still capable of hijacking considerable Dalit votes in the Capital. While, in terms of seats, the party may not make much of a difference, but watching the neck-and -neck competition between the AAP and the BJP, even a single seat lost by either party could be a defining moment at the Delhi election results. “They may not win many, but they may end-up hurting both BJP and AAP especially at the nine reserved Dalit seats in the Capital,” a senior Delhi BJP leader, said. Meanwhile, BJP MP and Dalit leader Udit Raj revealed that the party is planning to micromanage booths in the Dalit-dominated areas to develop a base. “We have identified booths wherein the party lost by a margin of less than 100 votes during the Lok Sabha elections. This time, we are concentrating harder on those specific booths and our agenda will have schemes targeted particularly for them,” Raj said. The BSP leader also said that they are positive about two seats, Narela and Tughlaqabad. During the 2013 assembly elections, the party candidates finished second and the margin of victory wasn’t an astounding number. Party general secretary in Delhi, ML Tomar said that though the party had not won any seats in the last assembly elections, but some of the losses it faced were quite close. Asked why the party is not coming together with other smaller parties, Tomar said: “We will not merge or take any help from other parties to contest in Delhi. BSP is a national party and while things might not have gone our way last time around, but this time we are confident that we’ll make a difference.” Delhi goes to polls 7 February and votes would be counted 10 February.