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On April 27, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), known for its silent campaigning and non-conformist politics, held demonstrations outside the districts administration offices across Uttar Pradesh.
The party was protesting against the contentious amendment to the land acquisition Bill and "deteriorating" law and order condition in the current Samajwadi Party (SP) rule in the state. BSP members were demanding better and speedy compensation for farmers affected by unseasonal rain and hailstorms earlier this year.
While demonstrations by political parties are not uncommon at all, the surprise element in this instance was the name of the protesting organisation - BSP has not held a protest in nearly 10 years, and very few since its formation in 1984.
BSP's preferred methods of expressing dissent are news conferences or rallies in an Assembly or Parliament. The prime motive for abjuring a direct confrontation with the ruling dispensation is to protect the party's cadre from politically motivated criminal cases.
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Most of its cadres are from financially backward classes, with hardly any means to fight legal cases.
Explaining the departure from its usual strategy, BSP Rajya Sabha member Salim Ansari said: "We shall organise more such demonstrations in the future when directed by party chief Mayawati."
On June 15, Mayawati, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, will chair a meeting of state leaders in Lucknow to decide the future course of action, he added.
Ansari is one of the 10 BSP members in the Rajya Sabha; the party has no members in the Lok Sabha. In the 2014 elections, none of its 80 candidates in Uttar Pradesh managed to win a seat. BSP sources said the dismal performance and severe reduction in its vote percentage has prompted Mayawati to reconsider some of the core strategies of the party.
This was BSP's worst electoral performance.
According to experts, the dent in BSP's vote share indicates that there has been a significant migration of this core voters - mostly from the Scheduled Castes - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"After the Lok Sabha drubbing, it has become imperative for Mayawati to change her strategy to be heard among her own voters," said Ram Kumar, a Dalit activist who heads the Lucknow-based non-profit organisation Dynamic Action Group.
"Mayawati needs to communicate with them (the voters). They have started raising questions about BSP's relevance and stand on issues. The large crowd at the recent protests was an indication that the party members need not lose heart before the next elections."
Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are slated for 2017.
Mayawati, it seems, has already started preparing the ground for it.
The first thing she has done is to disband all bhaichara (brotherhood) committees, which formed the backbone of BSP's caste-based politics.
"Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar had advocated a caste-less society, but Mayawati ended up constituting committees based on the castes," Kumar said.
Second, she has announced candidates for the Assembly elections two and a half years in advance. These candidates have been asked to work harder and nurse their Assembly segments. To avoid further defection of her core Dalit vote base, Mayawati has ordered restructuring of all the booth- and sector-level committees. One sector comprises 30 booths.
"A provision has been made through which 40 per cent of the seats in these committees are now reserved for the youth," said a BSP member, who wanted to remain anonymous.
The party's focus on youth is based on data - according to different sources, 38.8 per cent of India's population is less than 18 years of age while 28.9 per cent more is aged between 19 and 35 years. According to the 2011 Census, of 725 million voters in 2014, 149.36 were first timers.
The challenges before BSP are to attract this large number of young voters to it, as well as communicate Ambedkar's and founder Kanshi Ram's vision to youth.
"The cadres have started asking what's there for them in the party. They are expecting something. So, we have to find a meaningful work for them," the BSP leader said.
Mayawati's strength is still among Dalits. Though she has ordered the restructuring of the committees, members from the Scheduled Castes are still going to head them, as the BSP chief feels people from other caste may abandon the party for petty gains but the core support group will not.
Sources also said the four-time former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh was putting together a team of 100 experts and scholars to advise her on the pulse of the voters.
But is this enough to make her chief minister for the fifth time?
Party leaders claim caste equations would play an important role in the winning strategy and they are focusing on Muslim votes. If Muslims, who usually vote for Mulayam Singh-led Samajwadi Party turn to BSP's, Mayawati could spring a surprise victory.
BSP has already started wooing Muslims. Besides giving tickets to at least 100 Muslim candidates, out of 403 seats, the party has deputed its general secretary Nasimuddin Siddiqui to hold cadre camps in each district of the riot-hit western Uttar Pradesh. It is easier for the party to reach out to the Muslim communities, which suffered the brunt of Muzaffarnagar riots in September 2013, a few months before the general elections.
Besides this outreach, Mayawati is learnt to have appointed some Muslims vice-presidents at various party posts in the western Uttar Pradesh, which is home to most of Muslims in the state. Her party is also basing its success on the "failures" of Modi government at the Centre and the SP government in the state.
"Initially, we had expected Modi's wave to continue for some time and anticipated a BJP government in the Uttar Pradesh, after the latter won 71 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats," said Rajpal Singh Saini, another BSP's Rajya Sabha MP.
"But Modi's wave is waning fast. People are upset with him for not fulfilling the poll promises. At the same time, people are angry with the SP government for a spate of riots, electricity and other governance issues," Saini added.
The BSP feels it has a fair chance of winning the coming elections, if it plays the cards right. However it must tame the growing rebellion within the party.
Jugal Kishore, a Rajya Sabha MP from the BSP was thrown out of the party recently, and alleged Mayawati was now surrounded with middleman and brokers. "There is no democracy in the party and she has made one of her telephone attendans the party's general secretary. Mayawati has gone astray from the party's mission and all she does is demand money from leaders and candidates."
The BSP denied Kishore's allegations, saying the latter turned against the party after his son was refused a ticket for the assembly elections. Some leaders (however - word is not required) admitted there may be many advisers to Mayawati, but her words are final.
