Click to play videoLucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Monday virtually muzzled through the Opposition to get the resolution - to split the state into four parts - passed in the Assembly by a voice vote.
The Samajwadi Party and the rest of the Opposition called it unconstitutional and a political gimmick ahead of the election, while Mayawati took just ten minutes to bulldoze her resolution on splitting the state.
"For a long time my opponents have been saying that my decision to split the state is a political stunt. I wish to clarify it's not," said BSP supremo Mayawati.
The day's proceedings had Mayawati's stamp embedded all over. The list of business released didn't include the state division proposal, but the moment the vote on account was passed, she herself chose to make a dramatic entry inside the assembly and table the Cabinet resolution.
Assembly began at 11 am and the Opposition carrying posters stormed the well of the House forcing an hour-long adjournment. Around 12.20 pm, the House resumed and the Chief Minister, who was absent earlier, appeared tabling the resolution to split Uttar Pradesh and got it passed by a voice vote, and then got the House adjourned indefinitely.
The Opposition, like the SP and the BJP, which had moved no confidence motion against her with sizable number of BSP MLAs rebelling against Mayawati, could do little else other than create some pandemonium.
"Mayawati doesn't have the numbers in the Assembly. She has a minority government. There should have been a discussion on this issue," said Leader of Opposition in UP Shivpal Singh Yadav.
But Maywati wasn't bothered about the Opposition and Dismissed their demand for her to prove her majority as well as quelled rumours of her dissolving the Assembly.
"I am not going to dissolve the Assembly," said Mayawati.
By putting the ball in Centre's court, Mayawati has well killed two birds with one stone - the party opposing the resolution is bound to hurt the sentiments of people of the proposed four states, and she would benefit electorally in the Assembly elections early next year as she would claim to have kept her promise.
UP split: Who gains, who loses
Mayawati gains politically as her core constituency - Dalits - are evenly spread throughout the state.
Samajwadi Party's 8.7 per cent core Yadav vote is not uniform. One chunk is in Eastern UP and another in Etawah, Mainpuri and Etah belt.
RLD has been campaigning for Harit Pradesh in Western UP region. It is bound to gain there because of the dominant Jats.
The Congress like the BSP has influence in all regions, but it's far too thin, so no visible gain.
The BJP has influence in Eastern UP because of caste equation of Rajputs and Brahmins.
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