Will miracle of democracy see Mayawati become India’s first Dalit PM?

The way Mayawati, four times Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and national President of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), was received and greeted by most of the Opposition leaders present at HD Kumaraswamy’s swearing in ceremony in Karnataka on May 23, surprised one and all.

Even more surprising was the way UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi first affectionately head-bumped Mayawati and later on held her hand to raise it on the podium. This created a national optics. It went viral on the social media on the same day and most of the national newspapers carried the photograph (see lead photo) on their front pages next day. Her presence on the podium amidst a galaxy of leaders automatically established her as the ‘tallest Dalit leader’ of contemporary times. Is this Mayawati’s new incarnation in Indian politics?

The second reason to ask this question is Mayawati’s return to pre-poll alliance politics after 22 years. The last time her Bahujan Samaj Party had entered in a pre-poll alliance was with the Congress in 1996 in Uttar Pradesh. It is interesting to note that she has already entered into a pre-poll coalition with HD Kumaraswamy’s Janata Dal (Secular) before the Karnataka state elections.

HDK not only had a pre-poll alliance with her in the state elections, but he also declared BSP president Mayawati as his party’s choice for the Prime Minister’s post. In the same way, Mayawati has also entered into a pre-poll alliance with Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in Haryana. Moreover, like HD Kumaraswamy, INLD’s general secretary also declared Mayawati as his party’s choice as PM candidate.

Thirdly, to boost her chances in the coming Lok Sabha elections 2019, Mayawati has already declared a pre-poll alliance with Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh. She has put her personal enmity of the ‘Guest House Episode’ of 1995, on the backburner and has entered in pre-poll alliance with the SP after 1993.

To prove her detractors who believe she is a spent force wrong, she went a step further. She asked her supporters to transfer their votes to SP’s candidates in Gorakhpur and Phoolpur Lok Sabha by-elections held in March 2018. She got her votes transferred to SP’s candidates and both of them won. This was a real show of strength as the by-elections were held because these seats were vacated by the present BJP Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, respectively. Both of them were high-profile seats. It can safely be said that few political leaders can match Behenji’s power to get her votes transferred to her alliance partners.

Mayawati rediscovers her electoral strength, with a presence across 18 Indian states

Electorally, Mayawati appears to have rediscovered her strength in 2018. Another added advantage for her is that she has a pan-India presence across 18 states, excluding the northeast. That is what makes her important and her ability to transfer these votes to alliance partners makes her a much sought-after leader. That is why every other political party is ready to have a pre-poll alliance with the BSP. The BSP president on her part at the party’s national executive meet on May 26, announced that she would have a pre-poll alliance only if her party gets a respectable number of seats to contest.

Fourthly, the way Dalits represented their anger against the present BJP governments in different states and at the Centre through the leaderless pan-India Dalit movement on April 2, 2018, indicated that Dalits were facing a leadership crisis.

In this context Mayawati can successfully reincarnate herself in the eyes of the minorities and Dalits. It is so because she has proven her secular credentials and commitment to social justice, despite her post-poll adjustments with the BJP in the past.

During her four stints as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, not one major incident of communal violence took place. During her regime, it has been seen, communal forces do not raise their head. We do not know where love jihadis and cow protectors disappear during her regime. Secondly, she has always given a fair representation to minorities in her government and party. Moreover, she is considered to be a strict administrator and maintains law and order effectively. She has a unique record of development with social justice.

Last but not the least, under these circumstances we should not forget Congress’s Siddaramaiah’s announcement after Karnataka Assembly election that Congress is not averse to making a Dalit the Chief Minister. Similarly, who knows, in 2019 general elections, the Congress central leadership may announce that they are not averse to making Mayawati, a Dalit,t he Prime Minister? After all, Congress has a history of making a Dalit as the chief of their national party, appointed the first Dalit President of the country, also the first Dalit woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the first Dalit Home Minister and even the first Dalit Chief Justice of India.

Hence, Mayawati can be their choice for the first Dalit woman Prime Minister of the country, of course, with the help of other like-minded parties. That is why Sonia Gandhi’s and Mayawati’s public bonhomie in Bengaluru should not be taken lightly. Let the miracle of democracy repeat itself. Mayawati probably has felt the pulse of the people. Which is why she has had her party announce two national coordinators for the first time in the history of the BSP.

The author is a professor of sociology in JNU