May 29, 2011 11:25:40 AM
Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh
In a bid to revive its shrinking political base in Punjab and to motivate its workers and apprise them of the party’s political strategy and changing ideological moorings, a day-long worker’s convention would be held here on Sunday.
Party chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati would address workers from all the northern States —Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and also UT of Chandigarh to increase the foothold of the party in these States in its attempt to expand in a big way beyond UP.
The BSP chief is expected to give a clarion call for the inclusion of “Sarva Samaj” or all castes on the party platform, a formula which paid rich dividends to the party in UP in the 2007 Assembly elections. The “all-inclusive” strategy of the party is the new mantra which Mayawati is likely to use as a catalyst for consolidating and expanding her footprint across the country, particularly the northern States. She is expected to underline the fact that UP could be replicated elsewhere only if the party becomes an umbrella organisation for all castes, including the upper castes.
Immediate priority for the BSP here, however is Punjab which goes to polls early next year and was the State from where BSP founder Kanshi Ram hailed and concentrated the most after 1984. Punjab has a dalit population of 30 per cent, one of the highest in the country and the party now sees an opportunity to revive this support base.
After initial success in Punjab and making inroads in the dalit vote base, BSP did not manage to capitalise in the long run and frittered away the electoral advantage which it had in the State. The other three main parties — Congress, Akali Dal and BJP have successfully managed to eat into the BSP votes since then.
With an eye on expansion, it was not surprisingly to find that almost every party worker — right from the booth level to the State level — in the northern States have been invited for the Sunday convention, which is billed as the first of its kind in recent years by the party in this part of the country.
(The Pioneer, May 29, 2011)
No comments:
Post a Comment