Opinion Heartland attack

Second,Gandhi has adopted an agenda for rapid economic development of UP,based on the premise that the identity politics that engulfed the state for two decades has lost ground,and political parties need to cater to the strong expectations of the electorate,of development. The Mayawati-led BSP government,on assuming power in 2007 also redefined its priorities as development of all social segments and backward regions. Accordingly,Gandhi in his campaigns has sought to highlight the BSP government’s neglect of the backwardness of regions such as Bundelkhand. The region with 21 assembly and four Lok Sabha seats is a stronghold of the BSP,where the Congress hopes to gain a foothold using the politics of development. This explains the start of Gandhi’s campaign against the BSP from this region; the appointment of former Jhansi MLA Pradeep Jain as the minister of state for rural development at the Centre; and demands for the establishment of a Bundelkhand Autonomous Authority,a financial package for large-scale irrigation in the region,trifurcation of the state,and finally the establishment of a separate state of Bundelkhand to upstage this demand by the BSP. Strongly criticising these demands as Central interference,Mayawati has in response announced a number of welfare programmes for the region including revival of the defunct Bundelkhand Vikas Nigam.

Third,Gandhi hopes to rebuild the Congress party’s traditional support base among the Dalits. He has attempted to woo them by visiting Dalit homes across UP and stressing on their problems of livelihood and dignity. The party also hopes its revival will help regain upper caste support. These efforts have created direct confrontation with the BSP which,since the late 1980s,has replaced the Congress as the party of the Dalits and more recently obtained the support of the upper castes to capture power. Mayawati,despite the majority she enjoys,has had to retreat from her new sarvajan to her traditional Dalit-bahujan constituency,which is feeling marginalised. This is evident from the politics of symbolism like “currency garland” rallies,building of memorials and renewed calls for a Dalit PM. Massive rallies by both the Congress and the BSP on April 14 turned Ambedkar’s birth anniversary into a trial of strength between both parties.

Will the massive mobilisation by the Congress party under Gandhi make his “Mission 2012” of capturing power in the next state assembly election successful? While it is early days yet,the Congress faces a Herculean task with enormous challenges from within and outside. UP is a big state and obtaining a majority requires performing well beyond family strongholds. Organisational hurdles such as building strong local leadership and machinery across the state,internal elections,removing factionalism,finding winnable candidates with clean records,have yet to be resolved. Despite the discourse on development,Dalit/OBC issues retain importance and the BSP’s success in the by-elections last year indicate that Mayawati’s grip over her Dalit-Bahujan constituency remains strong,while the SP remains a contender with its vote-percentage remaining intact in 2007. What is clear is the emergence of a highly competitive,no-holds-barred political rivalry in the run-up to the next election,between the Congress attempting to regain lost ground as a broad-based party and the BSP attempting to consolidate its position as a party of disadvantaged sections with a Dalit core.

The writer is professor,Centre for Political Studies,Jawaharlal Nehru University