FOR A FEBRUARY afternoon it is quite hot in Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh. On a vast ground along the Grand Trunk road, about 160 km from Lucknow, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief, Mayawati, is about to address a rally. Her helicopter is supposed to land at noon, but people have begun to arrive from 9 am onwards. They are coming in buses, tractor trolleys, motorcycles, cycles, and on foot. By noon, the ground is full, and the local BSP functionaries have to ask volunteers to prevent more people from entering. Songs based on popular Bollywood songs, eulogising Behenji, as her supporters affectionately call Mayawati, are being played over giant Ahuja speakers. On the stage, BSP candidates from various Assembly constituencies in the Fatehpur region run from one corner of the…
