Mayawati is banking on the dalit-Muslim combination to return to power for the fifth time
The crowd is restive at Numaish Ground in Muzaffarnagar, with some people making full-throated war cries in favour of Mayawati. But they are immediately warned that no slogans would be allowed once the Bahujan Samaj Party chief arrives at the venue. Before her arrival, nine party candidates are allotted only two minutes each to make an appeal. Most of them take less than a minute to finish.
At the appointed hour, Mayawati’s blue Bell 429 helicopter lands to wild applause. Alighting from the six seater, she boards an Ambassador car, surrounded by a posse of commandos, to cover the few metres to the stage. She quickly makes it to the dais, where a sofa is kept for her in the middle. Her trademark handbag rests on the table in front of her.
After briefly acknowledging the crowd, Mayawati reads out her speech, blaming the Samajwadi Party for poor law and order, and the BJP for the riots. Then come her election promises—doling out money instead of laptops and mobiles; releasing those arrested during riots; replacing poorly cooked midday meals with cake, biscuit, egg and milk; loan waiver up to 01 lakh; favouring reservation for poor among other castes; and no more statues or museums.
Mayawati barely makes eye contact with the crowd during her 45-minute speech, at the end of which she picks up her handbag, goes backstage to have snacks, comes out 10 minutes later to meet each of the candidates and returns to the chopper. This is the routine at each of her rallies. The four-time chief minister addresses two rallies in a day, covering a district each, and returns to her Lucknow residence in the evening. Each candidate has a responsibility to bring in more than 20,000 people to the rallies.
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