THIRD TIME LUCK: It's Mayawati to the fore; Rajnath (right) recedes

Nominally at least, there is something autonomous about Mayawati. Like those Brazilian football players, her name is singular, just one word. Now, as chief minister, she begins her hyphenated life in politics. Power and partnership and Mayawati-it is not a smooth script.

Intimations were there, always. When the highest diva of Dalit politics and the BSP vice-president addressed a press conference at the BJP state headquarters in Lucknow on April 29, there was a piece of paper in her hand-the joint declaration of the BSP and the BJP, partners in power. Point number two on it was that the parties would contest the next Lok Sabha elections together. Surprisingly, Mayawati read out that information at the end of her statement, more like a passing remark. Or was it predictable-Mayawati's refusal to emphasise her own commitment? She was particularly mean to BJP leader Rajnath Singh. "Coordination committee ki chairman to main hi rahungi (I will remain head of the coordination committee)," she said, forever removing the illusion that the Thakur would play a key role in the functioning of the coalition government. A snubbed Rajnath refused tea with Mayawati.

Senior BJP leader Lalji Tandon, Mayawati's new found "brother", played down the bad omen: "Suspicions are obvious because whenever a new experiment is conducted, it is not accepted by everybody." A new experiment, certainly. For, phonetically BJP may rhyme with BSP but politically they are too incompatible to be partners. That is why this experiment in political fusion defies conventional wisdom. Here they are, the Brahmin and the backward, whose partnership aspires to change the genomics of Uttar Pradesh politics. And the woman on political top is the same one who once famously called her current ally the Manuwadi party. Apparently, she has not changed: "There is no change in the ideology of the BSP. I think it has been misunderstood. It is a misconception that the BSP is against the upper caste. Our objective is to replace the discriminatory Manuwadi system with a system of equal opportunity (see interview)".

STATES

INTERVIEW: MAYAWATI "We'll complete the full five-year term this time" The BSP leader, now chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for the third time, talked about her plans on the eve of her swearing in. Excerpts: Q. Your government lasted for four months in 1995. The next time you were in power for six months. How long do you expect to stay this time? A. This time we took much longer to form a government. We sorted out our disagreements after discussing every issue in detail. I hope that this time the BSP and BJP coalition government under my leadership will complete its full term of five years. Q. Do you think now the BJP will give up its "Manuwadi" beliefs? A. The BJP members and their leadership have realised that the Bahujan Samaj Party's policies are not anti-upper caste. The victory of our upper caste candidates helped to allay misapprehensions about the BSP's policies. Q. What is your common minimum programme for the state? A. The main issues to be addressed are the law and order situation and development. Taking care of the backward classes will be our first priority. Q. Will you join the NDA? A. No. We will only support them from outside. Q. Why don't you want to join the Government at the Centre? A. We don't want our MPs to become greedy like those of other parties. Every MP in the NDA wants to become a minister, which is not possible. So they keep pulling each other down. Our ministers said they didn't want ministership so it is better to support the Government from outside. Q. Are you going to make new statues, parks and districts once again? A. I have never done anything wrong which could hurt anybody's feelings. We will do whatever is necessary. -Aaj Tak

Will that equal opportunity have a place in the coalition government as well? On the previous two occasions when they were together in government, it was Mayawati's Dalit agenda that worked against the coalition-she hurt the upper castes, the main support base of the BJP. She is not likely to risk unpopularity with her own followers by changing her ways. Her totalitarian temptations are well known. She didn't want a deputy chief minister, as that would have stifled her style. And the imperious lady is unlikely to be influenced by coalition proprieties in portfolio allocation or bureaucratic reshuffling.

But then 2002 is a far cry from 1995 or 1997. In the first experiment, she knew that the BJP's support from outside would not last long, so she was in a hurry to project herself as an unadulterated Dalit leader and went to the extent of abusing Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Ram. In 1997, she had only six months of chief ministership under the rotational arrangement between the two parties, so she again pushed her agenda ignoring the sentiments of the partner. In Alliance 2002, there is no alternative to chief minister Mayawati. "It is wrong to say that the alliance will collapse because the two parties address diametrically opposite vote banks. If the leaders of the alliance pursue their goals jointly, there is no reason why this government should not last for a long time," says Om Prakash Singh, who was the first BJP leader to advocate alliance with the BSP.

Most visibly, Mayawati has put on more political weight. She is the party, the policy and the slogan. She won the election without trying too hard. She may still say "respected Kanshi Ramji is all in all for us", but, in reality, the official president of the BSP is only an invisible presence. In the recent elections, he was not even around, it was Mayawati alone. In power, though, she has to cohabit with the Manuwadi. Perhaps in her third incarnation as chief minister this dalliance with the enemy will continue beyond the convenient present.