BSP has Muslim UP chief: Mayawati plays old politics of checks & balances

Since the much-hyped pre-poll alliance between the SP and BSP failed to click at the elections, Mayawati is now compelled to play all her cards

Mayawati never fails to surprise. In her chequered political career, spanning more than three decades, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president has loved treading the path less travelled. Now, when the chips are down, Mayawati sprang a surprise earlier this month by appointing a Muslim, Munaquad Ali, as the chief of the Uttar Pradesh unit of her party.

This is the first time that the BSP has picked someone from the minority community to lead the party in the state. The rival regional heavyweight, Samajwadi Party (SP), the self-appointed custodian of the welfare of the minorities, has never appointed any