Mayawati's Rise to Power: A Centralized Leadership Style Challenged

The politics of Mayawati, the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and known as the BSP Supremo, is one of the most interesting political stories of Indian democracy. A daughter of the same society, which was kept on the margins of power and social order for centuries, challenged caste supremacy and the feudal system and captured the power of Uttar Pradesh. The Bahujan Samaj Party challenged the politics of treating Dalits as mere vote banks and Mayawati emerged as the biggest leader of Dalit politics in North India. The feudal system against which Mayawati rose to power is itself feudal. Mayawati's style of working has been very centralized since the beginning. Her personal imprint was clearly visible in her decisions as the Chief Minister and the authority of final decision in the BSP as the party president has been in her hands for a long time. Her leadership for workers and leaders has been more obedient than challenging or debating. This was once her strength, but today when the BSP is going through its worst phase, Anand Aakash has also declared her nephew as her political successor.