Elephant on the move, may upset Cong, BJP applecart

JAIPUR: Betting big on Gurjars and newfound Brahmin-Dalit social engineering, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is expecting to scale up its ���baby elephant��� size in Rajasthan. The party may not have big names on its rolls but has an advantage of starting the poll campaign much before its main rivals ��� the BJP and Congress.

State party chief Durga Rame Gader told ET that the party has the potential of casting ���Maya��� over the electorates of Rajasthan. ���We are hopeful of the successful implementation of UP���s formula that propelled the party to power. We are working hard on understanding the chemistry of voters and trying to balance out the caste equation,��� he said.

In the last elections, the BSP pocketed 5% of the votes to secure two seats out of 124 constituencies it had contested. ���Last time, we went for the poll with only eight-month preparations. Even then, the margin between our candidates and the winning MLAs was barely 4-5% votes.

This time, we are fielding our candidates on all the 200 seats. We have our plans cut out with hard work of four-and-a-half years behind us. We will definitely upset the applecart, clinching more seats than the ruling BJP and Congress,��� Mr Gader said.

The BSP has initiated its grass root workers into door-to-door campaign in areas, which look promising to them. With a stronghold on eastern Rajasthan adjoining Uttar Pradesh ��� Bharatpur, Karauli and Sawai Madhopur ��� the BSP is also trying to make its presence felt in tribal areas of Udaipur, Banswara, Pratapgarh and Dungarpur.

���We have the right mix of candidates. We have given tickets to candidates belonging to 40 castes. Around 100 are from Meena community while 40 are Brahmin and Rajput candidates. We want to give a comprehensive image to the party,��� Mr Gader said.

Apart from the traditional Dalit votes, the party is likely to garner sizeable minority and Jat votes. The inclusion of former Congress MP Natwar Singh and his son Jagat Singh has facilitated its entry into the Jat votebank of Bharatpur region.

���Jats are visibly upset with Congress over the issue of making a Jat CM. They can vote in favour of BSP with the hope of a Jat CM in Natwar Singh. Also, the minority, having tested both ��� Congress and BJP ��� can give a chance to the BSP following its favourable attitude towards them in UP,��� political observers believe.