BJP welcomes return of Shakshi Maharaj

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's decision to dangle the proverbial carrot before the estranged Samajwadi Party member of parliament Shakshi Maharaj is promising to pay rich dividends to the party in its quest to retain power in Uttar Pradesh, predicted to elect a hung assembly later this month.

Shakshi Maharaj is currently busy campaigning in favour of the BJP in the central parts of the state, where he holds a considerable sway over rural voters and is said to be capable of making a difference in at least 27 assembly seats.

The saffron-clad saint, who represented the BJP in the Lok Sabha for three terms in the last decade, has been promised a grand homecoming provided he can ensure victory of the BJP candidates in his areas of influence in Farrukhabad, Etah, Etwah, Auraiyya, Kannauj, Mainpuri, Kanpur, Hardoi and Rae Barelli districts.

His campaign against the BJP during the 1999 general elections, upon denial of nomination, was said to have caused heavy political damage to the party.

Shakshi, BJP admits, can swing votes in these areas in the BJP's favour. More importantly, he is seen as capable of making deep inroads into the vote banks of the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Kranti Party of his political mentor Kalyan Singh, a former UP chief minister.

Although Shakshi continues to be a Samajwadi Party MP, as he was elected to the Rajya Sabha as its nominee in 2000, he has associated himself with the BJP's ally the Janata Dal (United).

However, for all practical purposes he is canvassing support for the BJP candidates.

Although Shakshi belongs to the backward Lodhi caste, his influence spreads beyond his community, as he is a powerful Hindu saint and came to politics through the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's ranks.

The VHP is currently trying to unite the state's Hindu voters in BJP's favour, demanding permission to construct a temple in place of the 16th century Babri mosque demolished by Hindu zealots in December 1992.

His current indirect homecoming is not only proving a shot in the arm for the BJP, but also is helping it negate the Kalyan Singh factor since both of them belong to the same Lodh community.

BJP currently does not have any powerful leader from the Lodh community in its ranks in UP after Kalyan Singh was expelled from the party in 2000 and ex-MP Ganga Charan Rajput, now in the Congress, left the BJP the same year.

Shakshi Maharaj has got about 200,000 multi-coloured posters printed in the national capital, which were dispatched to various destinations in UP yesterday morning.

Interestingly, while the poster's outer borders have colours of the Samajwadi Party flag, the BJP's lotus symbol is prominently printed on it urging voters to vote for the BJP to help it fight against terrorism. Curiously, he has also mentioned his current status on the poster – a member of parliament from the Samajwadi Party.

During Kalyan Singh's tenure, Shakshi was popularly known as the mini-chief minister in these areas due to his proximity to him. Until recently he was trying hard to bring the Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Kalyan Singh together.

However, while Kalyan Singh walked out of it at the eleventh hour, Shakshi started feeling isolated in the Samajwadi Party, as Mulayam was told by his advisors that presence of a saffron-clad Hindu saint, who is alleged to have played an active role in demolition of the Babri mosque, would deter the Muslim voters to vote for his party.

Shakshi, who, as a Hindu saint, evoked so much respect that despite belonging to a backward community even the upper caste Brahmin BJP leaders used to touch his feet, started falling out with the BJP leadership when family members of an assassinated BJP legislator accused him of hatching the conspiracy to have him killed.

Legislator Brahm Dutta Dwivedi was supposed to be close to Premier Vajpayee, as a result of which he was denied the BJP's nomination in 1999. Later he was accused and even arrested for a brief period on charges of rape.

Shakshi Maharaj's announcement to mend fences with the BJP coincided with the courts finding him not guilty in both the murder and rape cases.

The BJP leadership, which has put him on a trial, is now hoping that he may make the difference between losing and retaining UP for them.