The former chief minister spent more than an hour at the official residence of Mayawati, 5, Kalidas Marg. As chief minister, Mayawati is the chairperson of the appointments committee for the commission, while Mulayam is a member by virtue of being the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.
In Uttar Pradesh, fickle political affiliations are not rare, and for this very reason, the coming together of Mayawati and Mulayam, even for official work, is bound to draw public attention.
Politically, the two were together only once, in a coalition government that collapsed in 1995 after working for two years. Mayawati had then formed her own government with support from the Bharatiya Janata Party. Soon after Mayawati withdrew support, Mulayam's men had attacked BSP legislators who were staying at the state guest house, where Mayawati was holding a meeting. Since then, there has been no communication between the two.
Meanwhile, the panel appointed former Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court, HK Sema, as chairperson of the commission. Asha Tewari, sister of BSP General Secretary SC Mishra, and Justice Vishnu Sahay, were appointed members.