7/23/2017 Mayawati resignation: Gimmick or well thought-out plan?

- The Economic Times

ET Home News Politics and Nation Search for News, Stock Quotes & NAV's

04:05 PM | 21 JUL EOD 50 ( ) (/10 / CREATE - CHOOSE

LANGUAGE
PORTFOLIO
MARKET STATS 32,028 124.49 9,915 41.95 28,542.0 211.0 64.31 -0.12 KAN

Mayawati resignation: Gimmick or well thought-out plan?

BY IANS | UPDATED: JUL 23, 2017, 09.55 AM IST Post a Comment

By Sangita Bakaya

LUCKNOW: Mayawati's political adversaries might term her dramatic resignation as a

gimmick, but analysts say the astute politician has taken a well thought-out plan to resign
from the Rajya Sabha to regain her losing hold over her core electorate.

"Mayawati seems to have realised, after successive failures at the hustings, that she has
to return to her core votebank - the Dalits - for her political survival and the live debate on
the TV gave her the best opportunity to announce it to the world that she is ready for all
sacrifice and emerge as the most credible spokesperson of Dalit issues," political analyst
and former head of political science department of Lucknow University Ramesh Dixit says. Mayawati has been under tremendous pressure with
the emergence of young Dalit leadership and lately
with BJP playing the trump card in the form of
This is not the first time that Mayawati was heckled while speaking in the House or the
fielding Ramnath Kovind.
Chair has tried to restrict the duration of her speech, so her aggressive postures in the
House before storming out has been taken as a move to draw attention on herself and
Big Change:
brand the BJP as anti-Dalit. The end of Five-Year Plans: All you need to know

"It was a well thought-out strategy to regain her ground in the face of the recent challenges but how far she will be successful has to be
seen," Dalit activist and retired IPS officer S R Darapuri says.

"She moved away from the favourable combination worked out by Kansi Ram to woo the upper castes which though paid dividends in
2007, had not been all that beneficial in successive elections in 2012, 2014 and 2017, and her party has been relegated to a poor third
spot in state politics," Dixit points out.
Recommended By Colombia
MELT ALL "BELLY FAT" Signs your insurance
WITH THIS ONE agent is wrong for you.
SIMPLE TRICK TomorrowMakers
Nutralyfe

Mayawati has been under tremendous pressure with the emergence of young Dalit leadership and lately with BJP playing the trump
card in the form of fielding Ramnath Kovind, he says, adding that now with this resignation she can go back to her workers and emerge
as a "selfless Dalit heroine who did not waver in resigning and sacrificing her RS seat", some six months before her term was to expire.

Dixit, however, feels that she will be successful to some extent as she could now be undertaking trips all over and can also become a
rallying point of the opposition parties.

"She could even be made to contest the Lok Sabha from Phoolpur and could also succeed in checking the disintegration witnessed in
her party in the recent past," Dixit says.

Phoolpur Lok Sabha seat will fall vacant after the resignation of Keshav Prasad Maurya, who has become deputy chief minister of Uttar
Pradesh and has to enter either House of the UP legislature.

The fact that the Congress, led by Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, walked out almost immediately after
she left in a huff expressing sympathy and support and Left leader Sitaram Yechury's quick criticism of the Treasury Benches for

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/mayawati-resignation-gimmick-or-well-thought-out-plan/printarticle/59720858.cms 1/3
7/23/2017 Mayawati resignation: Gimmick or well thought-out plan? - The Economic Times

disrupting the Dalit leader as she spoke indicate that she enjoys backing of opposition parties.

Senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav was seen right beside Mayawati as she rocked the Rajya Sabha, while RJD supremo Lalu Prasad
lamented outside the House that "it was a black day for Indian Parliament when as senior a Dalit leader as Mayawati was not allowed to
speak on her community".

Lalu went to the extent of offering the support of his 80-odd legislators to her for another term in Rajya Sabha -- her current term runs
out next February -- a chilling prospect because her party does not on its own have the requisite numbers to re-elect her.

Most significantly, even the Samajwadi Party, the long-term rival of the BSP in Uttar Pradesh, has been critical of the BJP in their
attempt to browbeat Mayawati.

Darapuri, however, feels that success of Mayawati's gameplan is not fully assured.

She is today left only with Chamar and Jatav vote with all the other castes among the Dalits having voted for the BJP, and the saffron
party will not easily let them go away.

The young leadership has also taken hold over the Dalits raising valid and justified questions over her functioning as they are not
satisfied with what she has done for them over the years, Darapuri says.

Stay on top of business news with The Economic Times App. Download it Now!

Live Market Industry About Us

News Newsletters Create Your Own Ad
Portfolio Commodities Advertise with Us
Powered by Mobile Speed Terms of Use & Grievance Redressal
Live TV Blogs Privacy policy
Biz Listings RSS

Download it from Download it from Download it from

FOLLOW US APP STORE GOOGLE PLAY Windows Store

Other Times Group news sites Hot on the Web

| | Pune Mirror | Bangalore Mirror | Ahmedabad Mirror SBI Share Price | Income Tax Return | GST | ONGC-HPCL Merger | NPS | Sensex
| ItsMyAscent | Education Times | Brand Capital | Mumbai Mirror | Times Now |
Indiatimes | | | | Go Green | AdAge India
| Eisamay | IGN India | NavGujarat Samay | Times of India | Lifehacker | Gizmodo |
Samayam Tamil | Samayam Telugu | Miss Kyra | Bombay Times | Filmipop
Living and Entertainment
Timescity | iDiva | Entertainment | Zoom | Healthmeup | Luxpresso | Gadget Reviews |
Titanium & Platinum Credit Card | Online Songs | MensXP | Hotels | Travel
Destinations | Cricbuzz | Recipes | Gaana | Happytrips | Getsmartapp
Today | Gold Rate Today | IFSC Code | Sensex Live | RIL AGM | RBI | Jio Phone
Services
Book print ads | Online shopping | Matrimonial | Astrology | Jobs | Tech Community |
Property | Buy car | Bikes in India | Free Classifieds | Send money to India | Used Cars
| Restaurants in Delhi | Remit to India | Buy Mobiles | Listen Songs | News |
TimesMobile | Real Estate Developers | Restaurant Deals in Delhi | Car Insurance |
Gadgets Now | Free Business Listings | CouponDunia | Remit2India | Techradar |
AliveAR | Getsmartapp App | ETMoney Finance App | Feedback

Interest Network
itimes

In Case You Missed It

Congress expelled me 24 hours ago, says rebel Shankarsinh Sushma Swaraj is lying, India should get ready for a military
Vaghela confrontation: Chinese media

Ram Nath Kovind has heft to deal with opposition Dont have selective amnesia on lynchings: Union HRD
minister Prakash Javadekar

US 'looks forward' to working with President-elect Ram Nath Meet India's new President Ram Nath Kovind
Kovind

Presidential elections: Ram Nath Kovind leading after first Opposition raises slogans on farm issues in Lok Sabha, forces
round of counting. Here's all the details adjournment

While Indian stocks go through the roof, in Pakistan they go Has eating out become cheaper after GST? Well, it actually
from best to worst depends on what you eat

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/mayawati-resignation-gimmick-or-well-thought-out-plan/printarticle/59720858.cms 2/3
7/23/2017 Mayawati resignation: Gimmick or well thought-out plan? - The Economic Times
TCS sees biggest drop in quarterly PAT in 2 years: 5 key Send 'gau rakshaks' to fight terrorists in Kashmir: Shiv Sena to
takeaways PM Modi

Copyright 2017 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/mayawati-resignation-gimmick-or-well-thought-out-plan/printarticle/59720858.cms 3/3