Political hawk, Unpredictable, Mercurial could just be a small chain of words which strike instantly as you spellout KANSHI RAM. One of the biggest political Shylocks around, the 64-year-old from the backwaters of Punjab has made himself and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) a phenomenon of sorts in Indian politics.

Both Kanshi Ram and his party represent at least part of the weaker sections' face in Indian politics. It was only through a shrewd leader like him that the BSP, which was dismissed as a political naught in early 1980s, certainly sent shock waves when it twice assumed power in a state like U.P. in 1995 and 1997. Kanshi Ram, who stands to fight against the `Brahminical order' (domination of upper castes), is well on his way to ensure even a bigger piece of cake in the country's politics for his party after its success in U.P. A personal insult of sorts came his way when he lost to the BJP from the Saharanpur Lok Sabha seat in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections. He has not contested in 1999 but he still hold Mayawati's strings quite firmly.

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