Will Mayawati spring a surprise in UP polls?

When it comes to electoral politics in Uttar Pradesh, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati is one stalwart who can steal the show even before the opposition ponders over what went wrong.There is no doubt about the fact that the newly-formed alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress has attracted eyeballs, but Mayawati is one leader who can never be underrated or underestimated.

The BSP supremo, considered to be the messiah of the downtrodden, is looking forward to the support of Dalits and Muslims to seize the throne in Lucknow.

As per a 2011 census, Dalits constitute 21.1 percent and Other Backward Classes constitute 40 percent of Uttar Pradesh's population.Mayawati may also enjoy the support of Muslims, accounting for 18-19 percent of the state population, this time, thereby giving a setback to the Samajwadi Party-Congress tie-up as reports suggest that the community is upset with Akhilesh Yadav government's handling of the Muzaffarnagar riots.

54 percent of Muslims voted for the Samajwadi Party in the 2002 assembly elections and if they do not impose their trust in young Akhilesh, the BSP stands at an advantage this time. Out of the 403 seats up for grabs, the BSP has fielded 97 Muslim candidates in a bid to win the community's trust.Mayawati has so far in her election campaigns attacked both the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party alike.