India, March 23 -- On June 3, 1995, Mayawati was sworn in as Uttar Pradesh chief minister following the collapse of the Samajwadi Party (SP)-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) coalition. Kanshi Ram, the BSP founder, told HT soon after that he wished to make Mayawati the Prime Minister. He said that by choosing her to head the BSP-led government in Uttar Pradesh, he was training her for the country's top role. Kanshi Ram saw himself only as a mentor.

An enigmatic leader, Kanshi Ram expected a fractured verdict in the 1996 national polls and saw an opportunity to replicate his 1995 experiment in New Delhi, as all major parties appeared keen to work with his burgeoning Dalit party. He successfully manoeuvred Mayawati's ascent in Uttar Pradesh even t...