LUCKNOW: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) expects to win 7 of the 70 seats in the Delhi assembly elections held on Saturday. The high turnout (about 60%) in the election is one of the major reasons for the heightened optimism of the party, which expects most of the seats to be from outer Delhi where they have a considerable following.
Though no one from the BSP is willing to speak on record on the party’s prospects in the state elections, a key party strategist handling BSP’s “Operation Delhi” told DNA that the party was looking forward to playing “kingmaker” in Delhi.
“This election is a closely-contested one between the BJP and the Congress. In such a tight situation, a party with even 5 seats could play a crucial role in government formation. We are expecting at least 7 seats which would play a major role in deciding who would form the next government in Delhi,” the BSP leader said.
Delhi is also crucial to BSP chief Mayawati’s plans. The BSP leader said Behenji (Mayawati), during the party’s strategy planning sessions, constantly emphasised that a presence in the capital would give the BSP a “psychological advantage” and also boost the party’s profile at the national level.
“She often reminds us about what (BSP founder) Kanshi Ram used to say. ‘BSP fights the first election to lose, the second to ensure others’ defeat and the third to win,’” the BSP leader said.
The BSP expects to better its performance this year. In last year’s Municipal Corporation of Delhi election, the BSP was said to be the single-most crucial factor for the Congress being wiped out. This time, too, the BSP apparently caused a dent in the Congress’ electoral fortunes. The BSP leader said the high turnout this time would bolster the party’s prospects. The high turn out is perceived to be due to the anger over the Mumbai attack. “But our voters also turned out in large numbers because of the string of rallies behenji addressed in Delhi,” he said.
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