Two former chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh — Digvijay Singh and Uma Bharti — have emerged as key players in the impending Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh being the incharge of the Congress and the BJP for the state. The bitter rivals in Madhya Pradesh when in power and outside, would confront each other in the belt of Ganga-Yamuna in the fight for space against Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Mr Digvijay Singh has already set the tone of election campaign by bringing the issue of Hindu terrorism on the fore with a calculation that this would put the Sangh Parivar on the defensive and make a dent in the minorities support base of the BSP and the Samajwadi party.
But Uma Bharati could play the Ayodhya card once again to put the Congress in the dock and puncture its Hindu terrorism line, insiders say. It will be interesting to see whether the Ayodhya card would help the Congress, BJP to regain their lost grounds among the upper castes.
Mr Digvijay Singh had wanted to defeat the BJP on the latter’s Hindutva agenda in 2003 Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections but the bijli-sadak-paani (BSP) factors went against his government and the Congress lost the battle.
Uma Bharati’s appearance on the scene in Uttar Pradesh would not only revive the issue but could also help Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav and Ms Mayawati to some extent.
Mr Digvijay Singh, a strategist and the man of the organisation, will try to exploit the anti-incumbency factor against the Mayawati government and the Samajwadi Party’s inability to come to power on its own. But Uma Bharti, the sanyasin and fire brand orator has an advantage. She is a Lodh, the backward caste community which matters in Uttar Pradesh, has an appeal among the upper castes.
An AICC official on Tuesday viewed that Ms Bharti’s re-joining the BJP will not change the ground reality in UP. “Minorities will back the Congress because of the BJP’s aggressive Hindutva policy and its backing Baba Ramdev. Muslims will not vote for either the BSP or the SP as none of them will come to power on its own this time,” he claimed.