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Maya to be biggest gainer: Yashwant
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ASIANAGE on 18 July, 2008 04:16:29
 
By MUKESH RANJAN
NEW DELHI
July 18: The formidable Yadav-Muslim combine in UP and Bihar is set to receive
a setback and this will affect the electoral fortunes of both Mulayam Singh
Yadav and Lalu Prasad Yadav. Predicting this scenario, senior BJP leader
Yashwant Sinha is of the opinion that their loss would be a natural gain for the
NDA.
Mr Sinha, however, contended that the biggest gainer of the current political
churning over the Indo-US nuclear deal would be UP chief minister Mayawati,
which indirectly helps the BJP in its post-poll calculations.
"In Bihar, the NDA is going to be a direct beneficiary and in UP with BSP
making inroads into the SP votebank will weaken the ruling UPA," he said.
Mr Sinha’s calculation is based on the fact that both SP and RJD are now seen
standing behind US President George W. Bush, who is the most hated among world
leaders by the Muslim community in India.
Interestingly, taking advantage of this common perception among the Muslim
community, the BSP has constituted "Muslim Bhaichara Committees" at its
grassroot level. "The party has instructed these committees to speak to the
Muslims and apprise them about how congress is hurting their sentiment by
signing a strategic deal with the US. The SP, which till the other day was
protesting against the US and even obstructed Mr Bush from visiting Taj Mahal
when the party was in power in the state, is now helping the Congress to sail
through the deal," a key functionary of BSP told this newspaper.
Assured of the fact that the nuke deal campaign could pave the way for a big
change in the community’s political choice, the BSP functionary said, "It is
for the first time that elections would be fought on a foreign policy issue.
While Left is opposed to the deal, our leader has linked it to the community. It
would fetch big results."
Conceding Ms Mayawati’s strident opposition to the deal a "masterstroke",
another senior BJP leader said, "With Muslims coming to BSP fold, which already
has the assured support of dalits and brahmins, Ms Mayawati will become
unstoppable in the next round of Lok Sabha election in UP."
Predicting a similar situation in Bihar, the BJP leaders feel, any shift in
Muslims’ electoral choice will benefit the NDA led by CM Nitish Kumar in the
state.