It is the battle of political survival of two individuals that has turned the rugged terrain of Bundelkhand into a battle ground. One time they were good friends. Both were in the same party and were Cabinet colleagues. But they are on different mission.

They are Nasimuddin Siddiqui, the PWD and Excise Minister in Mayawati Cabinet, and other is former Health Minister Babu Singh Kushwaha.

Interestingly, both belong to Banda. During their heydays both worked together and helped in taking BSP from strength to strength in Bundelkhand. This is the reason why in 2007 Assembly elections the BSP swept the Bundelkhand region and won 16 out of 21 Assembly constituencies.

Much water has flown down the river Ken since then. Kushwaha was first stripped of Health Ministry after the NRHM scam came to light and two CMOs were shot dead in broad daylight. And later he was thrown out of the BSP alleging anti-party activities. The differences between the two came to the fore. Kushwaha minced no words in saying that the whole drama was orchestrated by Siddiqui to win loyalty of the Chief Minister.

Siddiqui countered this allegation and said, “Is Kushwaha a leader,? He is just a manager. He used to manage party affairs when he was in BSP. I do not know what he is doing now”.

Both of them toured the length and breadth of Bundelkhand, part of which went to polls on February 19 and the remaining part will go to polls on Thursday. Kushwaha projected himself as a martyr. In almost all the political rallies he advocated that he was a dedicated party worker of BSP for 22 years but was thrown out on the instigation of a senior Minister (read Siddiqui). Parts of Bundelkhand, particularly Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur and Jalauan have a large number of backward votes.

“There was an attempt to kill me. The most powerful Minister in Mayawati Cabinet, Nasimuddin Siddiqui, Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh and Principal secretary (Home) Kunwar Fateh Bahadur Singh had hatched a conspiracy to get me arrested and then eliminate me inside the jail. I was able to see through their plans,” Kushwaha alleged in almost all the rallies.

Realising that sympathy is running high in favour of Kushwaha and backward votes might switch to BJP, Siddiqui had countered him by calling him a gaddar (traitor) who has stabbed BSP at its back. “What has Behanji (read Mayawati) not done for him? Made him a Minister and gave him lal batti. But he joined the kafirs,” Siddiqui said in his election rallies.

For the last one week both these leaders have been criss-crossing the Bundelkhand region sometimes by choppers and sometimes by road. It is a war of survival for both of them. Whosoever wins the battle, will have the last laugh.