Raja Ram

Lucknow, Aug. 19: All her efforts to keep the name of her chosen successor under wraps — lest rivals kill her — have blown up in Mayavati’s face.

Newshounds have managed to sniff out that the man in question is low-profile BSP vice-president Raja Ram, leaving the Uttar Pradesh chief minister red-faced.

The embarrassment is greater as the story swirling is that someone from her “inner circle” blew the whistle.

Twice in the past, Mayavati had hinted that her heir apparent would be a Dalit from her community, 15-20 years younger but not from her family. But the name had been a dead secret.

The story also goes that she had scribbled the name on a chit of paper, sealed it in an envelope and handed it to two confidants, to be opened when necessary.

The BSP has trashed as “baseless” the media reports regarding Mayavati’s heir. “The media should not publish such news without confirmation,” a press release said.

All eyes are now on Raja Ram, who is in the Uttar Pradesh legislative council and is in charge of Madhya Pradesh party affairs. A postgraduate from BHU, Raja Ram apparently stays at Mayavati’s house in Delhi most of the time. He is fair, well built and five feet eight inches tall, and a “reflective kind of person”.

Mayavati, 52, has begun to fear for his life.

Although the BSP boss has taken care to stifle the growth of leaders close to party founder Kanshi Ram, there are some — Swamy Prasad Maurya, Indrajit Saroj and Baburam Kushwaha — who still aspire to the crown.

BSP sources said many party leaders claimed the man from Azamgarh did not have much of a support base and had never shown talent for organisation building.

Many have even begun proposing the name of Mayavati’s brother Anand Kumar.