Defiance is a term rarely heard in the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) but the ongoing panchayat elections amply indicate that a quiet defiance is raising its head in the ruling party.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister and BSP president Mayawati had announced almost two moths ago that her party would not contest the panchayat elections. She strictly warned party workers to stay away from panchayat elections and concentrate on strengthening the party.
The chief minister's diktat has obviously had little impact on BSP leaders who are now busy campaigning for their kin contesting the panchayat elections in UP.
For instance, the wives of parliamentary affairs minister Lalji Varma, vocational education minister Choudhury Laxmi Narain, forest minister Fateh Bahadur Singh and panchayati raj minister Swami Prasad Maurya are contesting the panchayat elections and their husbands are leaving no stones unturned to ensure their victory.
Power minister Ramvir Upadhyay - whose wife is BSP MP from Fatehpur Sikri and whose brother is a BSP MLC - is now working overtime to ensure the victory of his sister-in-law who is contesting the panchayat elections. Relatives of rural development minister Daddu Prasad and another minister Daddan Misra are also in the fray.
Apart from this, over two dozen BSP MLAs are actively participating in the elections where their close relatives are candidates.
The relatives of BSP leaders are not only contesting the panchayat elections but are also using the BSP colour (blue) in their campaign in ample measure. Photographs of Ms Mayawati and the local leaders also figure prominently on the posters and hoardings that are being put up in the campaign.