Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

BSP's victory

This refers to the article "BJP sound effects and BSP silence" (May 15). The results from India's most populous State are significant in many ways. They clearly show that the people's thinking is not restricted to considerations of caste and religion. Voters are mature and want a stable and vibrant government. Getting a clear majority in an election contested by 117 parties is no mean achievement for the Bahujan Samaj Party. Mayawati's strategic planning triumphed over the saffron brigade's divide and rule agenda and the Congress' pseudo-secularism.

Ajay G. Pise,
Manipal

* * *

The BSP's emphatic win has left many analysts and political parties surprised. The U.P. electorate deserves praise for rejecting the BJP's highly divisive campaign. The maturity displayed by it is a healthy sign for Indian democracy.

Sameena Faheem Hashmi,
Hyderabad

* * *

The media and experts alike failed to predict the BSP's success. The SP Government's failure on the law and order front, police and administrative inefficiency, the BSP's new composition of Dalits, Muslims, and Brahmins, and the Election Commission's strict conduct of the polls contributed to Ms. Mayawati's victory. While they did their bit, the BSP leader's strategy did the rest.

Santosh Kumar Gaur,
Lucknow

* * *

The U.P. results are a big slap in the face of the BJP, the SP, and the Congress. Ms. Mayawati has done exactly what the country needs today. The coming together of Dalits, Muslims, and the forward castes produced the desired result. While the Congress could not regain the confidence of the minorities, the hide-and-seek policy of Mulayam Singh, notably his failure to issue a fresh notification in the Babri Masjid case, proved to be his failure. The BJP's back-to-Hindutva policy shows that the party has not learnt any lessons from Election 2004.

K. Malikul Azeez,
Chennai

* * *

The BJP has been irreversibly weakened in the politically most important State. It should shun its divisive politics if it is to be reckoned with in the next general elections.

Sachin Kurmi,
Ghaziabad

* * *

As rightly mentioned in the editorial "Well done, Election Commission" (May 14), the Commission has done a wonderful job of conducting the elections in a well planned, dedicated, and systematic manner.

P.B. Sundara Rajan,
Hyderabad

* * *

The words "For argument's sake, it must also be pointed out that constitutional functionaries — be they judges, speakers, governors, or presidents — may come from different social and even political backgrounds and have their firm ideas and connections ... The critical thing is that they must function with integrity, independence, and impartiality in high office" are pearls of wisdom worth being written in words of gold and put on prominent display in all government offices.

K. Vedamurthy,
Chennai

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