Bhopal Abuzz with Rumours of Trouble in State BSP
Though, first indications are not evident yet, but rumour mills are abuzz with suggestions of major trouble in the Madhya Pradesh state unit of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), as party leaders hit by a string a poor electoral performances and fed-up of playing second fiddle to leaders from neighboring Uttar Pradesh just might pull the rug from under the party feet sometime soon.
The BSP state unit, a motley crew of small-time political leaders drawn from myriad backgrounds, seems to have lost hope of playing a worthwhile role in the state politics.
Major BSP defections are nothing new or surprising in Madhya Pradesh, days ahead of the 2003 elections to the state Assembly, the BSP state unit under Phool Singh Barraiya had led a mass-exodus from the party.
The Barraiya move away from the Bahujan bastion hit the party’s electoral hopes in the state and helped the Congress restore some honour in an election that saw the BJP register its biggest ever win in the state.
Though, similar BSP defections at this juncture, would be of little political consequence to the BSP, especially as the contest for the Lok Sabha in Madhya Pradesh is a straight vote-off between the BJP and the Congress.
Coming ahead of a make-or-break electoral season an exodus from the Bahujan ranks is sure to dampen party morale which is crucial for the party at the moment, as it attempts to fight off its regional image and catapult its leader – Mayawati – to power at the Center.
The lock-stock and barrel defections led by Barraiya were said to have been triggered by then chief minister Digvijay Singh which may not be the case this time around, say the political know-alls that speak but only on condition of anonymity.
