Mayawati is not likely to contest the Lok Sabha election this time. (Photo: PTI)

Despite the coalition with Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati is going to play the caste card once again in Uttar Pradesh. According to sources, the maximum number of seats that have been declared for Lok Sabha constituencies have been given to Brahmins.

Mayawati is not likely to contest the Lok Sabha election this time. As compared to any other castes, Mayawati has given maximum number of tickets to Brahmins in an attempt to not only weaken the BJP but also prevent their swing towards the Congress.

Most of the candidates in the 38 constituencies have been finalised by the BSP, which is trying to garner the support they received in 2007 when a Dalit- Brahmin combination led to an emphatic for the party in the Assembly elections.

The party think-tank feels that with with the support from the Dalits and Muslims, along with the support from OBCs that owe allegiance to SP, and Brahmins, the BSP has a clear edge over BJP and Congress.

In eastern Uttar Pradesh, there is a battle of dominance between the Brahmins and the Thakurs politically, though in the Modi wave this battle was lost but now Mayawati hopes to redeem it again.

Candidates whose names have been almost finalized include Rakesh Pandey (Ambedkarnagar), Nakul Dubey (Sitapur), Kushal Tewari (Khalilabad), Seema Upadhyaya (Fatehpur Sikri), Santosh Tewari (Kaiserganj), Rangnath Mishra (Bhadohi), Ashok Tewari (Pratapgarh) and Ajay Rai a Bhumihar-Brahmin from Mau.

It is being hoped that from the eastern Uttar Pradesh alone, the BSP will launch six Brahmin faces.

Mayawati on Sunday met her party’s co-ordinators, zonal heads, MLAs, and other office-bearers, Rajya Sabha members and ex-MPs to brief them on the party’s strategy for Lok Sabha elections.

The BSP chief, in her three-hour long speech, divided the party’s organisation into two zones, giving co-ordinators at least three divisions each.

The Congress has also put all its emphasis on eastern Uttar Pradesh where the party will use a similar strategy to win Brahmin votes.