Seeking a new lease of life after a severe drubbing it got in the last Lok Sabha polls and later in its home State Uttar Pradesh, Dalit leader Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party is keen to make its presence felt in Madhya Pradesh.

Its strategy is to capitalise on its strength in areas on border of the two States.

The BSP, which was a key force to reckon with in Uttar Pradesh till a few years ago and had even started making big inroads into the national politics, wants to be seen in Madhya Pradesh as an alternative to the Congress and the BJP, who have always been in a direct fight for power in the State.

While the BJP has been in power for 15 continuous years in this vast State with 230 assembly seats and a voter base of over five crore people, its main challenger has always been the Congress, which used to rule the State before being ousted by the saffron party in 2003.

However, the BSP over the years has made its presence felt in the areas adjoining the border with Uttar Pradesh, namely Bundelkhand, Chambal and Vindhya regions which are dominated by Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes classes. With an aim to reach “Bhopal via Bundelkhand”, the BSP’s objective for this election is to play the role of a kingmaker, the party leaders said. Atar Singh Rao, BSP’s Madhya Pradesh unit coordinator, said the party is contesting 230 seats but its strategy is focused on being a kingmaker in Madhya Pradesh.

“BSP has a strong base in Bundelkhand, Chambal and Vindhya regions, but in this election, our party will expand its base in the entire State,” he said.

In last two Assembly elections, the BSP emerged as the third largest party in terms of vote percentage and number of winning candidates. It secured 8.9 per cent votes and seven seats in 2008, but its tally fell to four seats and 6.29 per cent votes in 2013.

So far, the party has been getting electoral success from Chambal (Morena and Gwalior districts) and Vindhya regions (Satna and Rewa districts).

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