The political election result has surcharged the political scene in UP where the ruling BSP as well as the opposition parties are suddenly abuzz with activities focussing on good governance.
The astounding success scripted by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar around his style of functioning is being seen as a paradigm shift in conventional politics, which has been plagued by caste equations and balancing acts on menial considerations. While chief minister Mayawati finds it difficult to accept the change and perceives it as a conflict, those in opposition see this as an opportunity for making a political agenda against the government.
However, in any case, this is an awkward situation either for the ruling BSP or the opposition, which are now engaged in fathoming changing preferences of electorate, though elections are yet away in 2012 in the state.
The politics of UP is not much different from that of Bihar. Both have witnessed dramatic a political change in the post-Mandal era. In this, the Congress collapsed and caste-based heroes got commanding heights. So, Bihar is a natural corollary to UP.
This is why the Bihar syndrome has gripped UP leaders. In the heart of this is the mantra of good governance. Though giving no credit for this to Nitish, chief minister Mayawati herself too seems to be bug-beaten by the good governance plank. She has charted a new blueprint of her priorities and in this scheme, she has openly warned her ministers against any corruption. Nobody will be spared, if found guilty, she has categorically declared. Further, she has decided to undertake surprise inspections from February 1 to take a direct feedback from people about the delivery mechanism of the government apparatus. All this conveys the sense of urgency on her part about the governance.
Emboldened by its performance in Bihar, the BJP too is keen to repeat it in UP. For this purpose, BJP president Nitin Gadkari has planned to hold at least a dozen meetings in UP in the near future. In his recent meeting here, Gadkari asked his party workers to devote their time to public service rather than making a `Ganesh Parikarma' of leaders for lobbying and canvassing for seeking party tickets. "We are confident of repeating our Bihar performance in UP," says state BJP president Surya Pratap Shahi, who has announced to hold `Chalo gaon ki or' (march towards villages) rally from December 15. The twin objective behind this, he says, is to expose the misrule of the Mayawati government and bring governance on the political agenda. After reaping a rich dividend of its coalition with JD(U) in Bihar, the BJP now hopes to compete with Mayawati, with whom its three-time alliance proved a political misadventure in UP.
The Congress too has become aggressive in its stance against the government. While kicking its third-leg programme by addressing Sandesh Yatra rally at Allahabad last week, Congress president Sonia Gandhi blamed the Mayawati government for corruption and misusing the Central funds meant for development purposes. Soon after this, Gandhi has been camping in her Rae Bareli constituency for the last three days.
However, Bihar result has left the Congress nervous, as its hope to rebuild its base on the charisma of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi got dashed in Bihar. The Congress has been out of power both in Bihar and UP for the last two decades during which it has been on the decline. The last time the party was in power in these states, Jagannath Mishra was the chief minister of Bihar, while Naryan Dutt Tiwari held the reins in UP.
What comes as a worry to the Congress is the downslide in its popularity after the Lok Sabha elections in UP. The party has repeatedly seen humiliating defeats in almost all the byelections held recently for the Vidhan Sabha as well as the Vidhan Parishad. The party candidates had not only forfeited their security deposits, they also failed to win from the assembly segments falling in the Lok Sabha seats won by the party.
The astounding success scripted by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar around his style of functioning is being seen as a paradigm shift in conventional politics, which has been plagued by caste equations and balancing acts on menial considerations. While chief minister Mayawati finds it difficult to accept the change and perceives it as a conflict, those in opposition see this as an opportunity for making a political agenda against the government.
However, in any case, this is an awkward situation either for the ruling BSP or the opposition, which are now engaged in fathoming changing preferences of electorate, though elections are yet away in 2012 in the state.
The politics of UP is not much different from that of Bihar. Both have witnessed dramatic a political change in the post-Mandal era. In this, the Congress collapsed and caste-based heroes got commanding heights. So, Bihar is a natural corollary to UP.
This is why the Bihar syndrome has gripped UP leaders. In the heart of this is the mantra of good governance. Though giving no credit for this to Nitish, chief minister Mayawati herself too seems to be bug-beaten by the good governance plank. She has charted a new blueprint of her priorities and in this scheme, she has openly warned her ministers against any corruption. Nobody will be spared, if found guilty, she has categorically declared. Further, she has decided to undertake surprise inspections from February 1 to take a direct feedback from people about the delivery mechanism of the government apparatus. All this conveys the sense of urgency on her part about the governance.
Emboldened by its performance in Bihar, the BJP too is keen to repeat it in UP. For this purpose, BJP president Nitin Gadkari has planned to hold at least a dozen meetings in UP in the near future. In his recent meeting here, Gadkari asked his party workers to devote their time to public service rather than making a `Ganesh Parikarma' of leaders for lobbying and canvassing for seeking party tickets. "We are confident of repeating our Bihar performance in UP," says state BJP president Surya Pratap Shahi, who has announced to hold `Chalo gaon ki or' (march towards villages) rally from December 15. The twin objective behind this, he says, is to expose the misrule of the Mayawati government and bring governance on the political agenda. After reaping a rich dividend of its coalition with JD(U) in Bihar, the BJP now hopes to compete with Mayawati, with whom its three-time alliance proved a political misadventure in UP.
The Congress too has become aggressive in its stance against the government. While kicking its third-leg programme by addressing Sandesh Yatra rally at Allahabad last week, Congress president Sonia Gandhi blamed the Mayawati government for corruption and misusing the Central funds meant for development purposes. Soon after this, Gandhi has been camping in her Rae Bareli constituency for the last three days.
However, Bihar result has left the Congress nervous, as its hope to rebuild its base on the charisma of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi got dashed in Bihar. The Congress has been out of power both in Bihar and UP for the last two decades during which it has been on the decline. The last time the party was in power in these states, Jagannath Mishra was the chief minister of Bihar, while Naryan Dutt Tiwari held the reins in UP.
What comes as a worry to the Congress is the downslide in its popularity after the Lok Sabha elections in UP. The party has repeatedly seen humiliating defeats in almost all the byelections held recently for the Vidhan Sabha as well as the Vidhan Parishad. The party candidates had not only forfeited their security deposits, they also failed to win from the assembly segments falling in the Lok Sabha seats won by the party.
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