MAYA RECEIVES ANOTHER JOLT AS BSP LEADER JOINS BJP

LUCKNOW: BSP chief Mayawati received another jolt on Monday when senior party leader and former MP Brajesh Pathak joined the BJP and in the process put a spoke in her plan to work out a Dalit-Muslim-Brahmin rainbow coalition ahead of the 2017 assembly election.

BJP chief Amit Shah announced the joining of Pathak at a programme in New Delhi where union minister Mahesh Sharma was also present.

Talking to HT, Pathak said, “Mayawati had started sidelining the Brahmin leaders in the party. She has replaced 70 Brahmin candidates with Muslims,” he said.

The exodus of senior leaders before the crucial assembly election has virtually rattled the BSP that is aiming to capture power by consolidating its hold over the Dalit and upper caste voters — particularly the Brahmins.

“No other political party has been hit by exodus of senior leaders before the assembly election as BSP,” said political observer RK Mishra.

The party was already grappling with rebellion of Swami Prasad Maurya, considered the backward face of the party, influential Pasi community leader RK Chaudhary, Dalit leader Daddu Prasad as well as over half-adozen MLAs and senior leaders, including Rajesh Tripathi, Uday Lal Maurya, Harvinder Sahani alias Romi Sahani, Brijesh Kumar Verma, CL Verma, Om Kumar, Anil Maurya and Vinay Shakya.

Now, the rebellion of Pathak has put the BSP on a slippery ground even as Mayawati held a massive rally in Agra on Sunday to mobilize the cadre for the coming polls.

THE EXODUS OF SENIOR LEADERS HAS RATTLED THE BSP THAT IS AIMING TO CAPTURE POWER BY CONSOLIDATING ITS HOLD OVER THE DALIT AND UPPER CASTE VOTERS