Haryana polls: Mayawati blames 'casteist' people of Jat community for BSP-INLD loss
Lucknow (PTI): BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday blamed the "casteist" people of the Jat community of the state for the adverse Haryana assembly election results and advised them to change their mentality.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had fought the Haryana polls in alliance with the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), the regional party.
The BJP stunned its rivals with its performance, winning the state polls for a third time in a row by bagging 48 seats of 90 seats, while the Congress managed 37 and the INLD scored victory on just two as three went to Independent candidates, according to the Election Commission.
The BSP pocketed 1.82 per cent vote share while its ally INLD got 4.14 per cent, the data analysis on the EC website showed.
Mayawati, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, on Tuesday night took to social media platform X and said, "The BSP and the INLD fought the Haryana assembly general election in alliance. But today's result shows that the casteist people of the Jat community did not vote for the BSP due to which the party candidates lost on some seats by a small margin of votes, although the BSP's entire vote was transferred."
"The people of the Jat community of UP have changed their casteist mentality to a great extent and they have become MLAs from the BSP and ministers in the government. The people of the Jat community of Haryana should also follow their footsteps and change their casteist mentality. This is a special advice," Mayawati posted in Hindi.
She expressed her heartfelt gratitude to all the BSP members for fighting this election with "full strength" and assured them that their hard work will not go in vain.
"People should not be disappointed nor lose hope. But they should be ready to make their own path. A new path will emerge," she added in the three-part post.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
