UP chief minister Mayawati-led BSP appears to be fast losing steam in the run-up to the Bihar Assembly elections. The BSP leaders in Bihar are reportedly knocking at the doors of other political parties in an indication that the ambitious march of the party to spread wings out of Uttar Pradesh has failed to take off.
As the BSP leaders are making beeline to other major political parties, the party is equally busy in expelling them on the plea that they have been indulging in “anti-party activities”. On Tuesday, the BSP expelled three of its MLAs in Bihar after finding them of having indulged in anti-party activities. However, senior BSP leaders stated that the three Bihar MLAs were in talks with the RJD and JD(U) to boost their political prospects.
Earlier, BSP leader Ajit Sharma, who had contested the Lok Sabha election from Bhagalpur, had quit the party and had joined the Congress. In the last one month, half-a-dozen BSP leaders have quit the party, while party functionaries concede that the exodus would only peak further. “The RJD and Congress are looking for formidable candidates and all those BSP leaders who had done well in the last state Assembly elections are being sought after by these parties,” a senior BSP state leader said.
The exodus of party leaders is likely to give a big jolt to the BSP, which has already stated that it would be contesting on all the 243 Assembly seats in the state. “The party is in the process of identifying candidates for all the Assembly seats. There will be a large number of leaders who would like to join our party once they are denied tickets by others. The BSP will openly welcome them and field them in the Bihar elections,” added the party functionary.