Mayawati had made Nassimuddin Siddiqui as Muslim face of party and he was entrusted with the task of bringing Muslim community closer to BSP through bhaichara samiti meetings all over the state. At a time when Mayawati was playing aggressive Muslim card by giving more than 100 tickets to Muslims, Nassimuddin Siddiqui miserably failed to bring Muslim votes to BSP candidates. The calculation of Mayawati to form the government with unity of Dalit and Muslim votes went wrong when she failed to get support from Muslim community and also her own trusted voters went to BJP .

In the backdrop of large scale bungling in ticket distribution, Mayawati dissolved all committees of coordinators from state level to districts. It would be worth mentioning, during review meetings held in various districts and attended by Nassimuddin Siddiqui , BSP workers complained against coordinators for spoiling the elections of BSP candidates by coordinators who were held responsible for this debacle.

So much so, in majority of constituencies, the local workers raised the slogans and shouted that certain coordinators had taken money and even then BSP candidates were defeated. Mayawati had given power to coordinators who were not only responsible for giving tickets but also giving feed back to BSP supremo from time to time. They were more powerful than MLAs and MPs.

In order to retain support from MBC and OBC, Mayawati set two committees to work in these castes and indentify their leaders and bring them to party fold. It was felt that when senior backward and MBC leaders quit the party before assembly polls Mayawati never bothered to project others as she was confident that combination of Dalit and Muslim will bring her to power.

In the light of shifting of her core voters and upper caste to BJP, Mayawati has now made Nakul Dube incharge of Lucknow unit. Mayawati is also worried with the shifting of her voters to BJP that is why in order to stop this migration at grass root level, Mayawati has announced that party will contest local bodies polls on party symbol.

In order to save her brother from series of income tax notices served recently by the central government, Mayawati made Anand Kumar as her deputy and heir apparent by appointing him as only vice-president.

BSP supremo has also changed her stance on the joining anti-BJP alliance with other parties when she said that decision would be taken at during next Lok Sabha polls only, not before that.

Political observers say that with only 18 MLAs, Mayawati will not be able go to UP Legislative Assembly or Rajya Sabha once her term expires in 2018. And she will bargain the issue of alliance after negotiating Rajya Sabha seats with other political parties.

After losing power to Samajwadi Party in 2012 and against not being able to open account in Lok Sabha in 2014 and now 18 seats in UP assembly, Mayawati is very nervous about her own future and that of her party.

On the other hand, demoralized by the worst ever performance in recently concluded assembly polls. Congress leadership and rank and file is against any alliance for 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Congress had got only seven seats with only six per cent votes against 28 seats won in 2012. During recent review meeting at state headquarters, district and city presidents and other office-bearers of party drawn from various parts of the state made it clear they would not favour any alliance for future.

Going by the sentiments of the party leaders and workers, UPCC President Raj Babbar said that there would be no decision on any alliance till the entire review meetings were over. It would be mentioned here that neither UPCC President Raj Babbar nor the other state leaders were interested in SP-Congress alliance in recent assembly polls.

Congress leaders said that only Prashant Kishor who was hired by the party to plan the strategy and Rahul Gandhi were responsible for the alliance which resulted in poor show in the polls.

Congress leaders argue that out of total 105 given to Congress, the party contested only 85 seats out of 400 seats while other 20 seats were contested by Samajwadi Party on Congress symbol. It was revealed at the review meetings that Congress party paid the price for great ant-incumbency against Akhilesh Yadav government. In those places where Congress had no candidates party votes went to BJP which helped saffron brigade to cross the tally of 300 assembly seats.

The spirit of alliance was not followed by Congress as well as Samajwadi Party candidates as there was not-so-friendly contests where Congress and SP fielded candidates who damaged both the parties. Congress leaders feel that if party decided to go alone, then party would have certainly done better than 2012 assembly polls.

The lack of interest of AICC incharge Ghulam Nabi Azad and UPCC president Raj Babbar who visited Lucknow with return tickets from New Delhi also demoralized the state leaders which had adverse impact on campaigning. The biggest debate in Congress is on the capacity of Rahul Gandhi to ensure victory of party candidates. The Congress candidates won the seats because of their own individual capacity and capability and not due to party leadership of Rahul Gandhi. (IPA Service)