Mumbai, November 25
In a loud and clear indication that Maharashtra is next on the radar of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati mobilised a respectable crowd in the heart of the city in a show of strength that will have political implications in the days to come.

Activists of the BSP systematically worked across Maharashtra for the past several weeks to rope in nearly one lakh people to fill the spacious Shivaji Park grounds. Though no major leaders from other political parties joined the BSP, Mayawati's rally gathered enough leaders at the district level to indicate that the party could prove to be a spoiler in the 2009 assembly elections.

Mayawati used the opportunity to indicate that the BSP would replicate its rainbow coalition in Maharashtra as well. "After they come to power, all parties forget the poor, the backward sections, minorities and the downtrodden of Indian society," Mayawati said. Much of address was directed at rival political parties like the Congress and the BJP.

"These two parties are always enjoying the benefits of power because of support from industrialists," Mayawati said.

In an appeal to the Dalit community, she called all backward sections of Maharashtra to unite. Though Maharashtra is the cradle of Dalit politics, the Republican Party of India founded by Babasaheb Ambedkar is split into four parties.

The UP Chief Minister insisted that her party was not against the upper castes. "We cannot achieve social justice without the support of the upper caste people," Mayawati said.

She insisted that should the BSP come to power, she would implement reservations in the private sector. "In Uttar Pradesh, apart from filling all reserved posts lying vacant for years, we have also implemented reservations in the private sector," Mayawati said.

The BSP's activists pulled out all stops to mobilise crowds for the rally. More than 2,000 trucks and tempos were roped in to bring in activists from all across Maharashtra for the rally.

Clearly rattled by Mayawati's high voltage campaign in Mumbai, leaders of the RPI insisted that attendance at the rally would not translate into votes for the BSP. "Mayawati is chief minister, so she will have the resources to mobilise a large number of people. But how many of the people will vote for Mayawati's BSP," asked Ramdas Athvale how heads his own faction of the RPI.

However, the BJP-Shiv Sena leaders felt that the Congress party could be hit the most if the Dalits gravitate towards the BSP. Observers say the Nationalist Congress Party headed by Sharad Pawar is mainly a Maratha party despite the presence of leaders like Chagan Bhujbal. The Congress party which attracts a large number of Maharashtra's Dalits could take a knock. The BJP could also be affected, but to a lesser extent. Its senior leader Gopinath Munde from the backward Vanjari caste is said to be disgruntled after being sidelined by the BJP.