Party chief Mayawati has been trying hard to forge a Dalit-Muslim combination in support of the BSP. Despite fielding 99 Muslim candidates -a record high for the party – and basing its gameplan to a large extent on the Dalit-Muslim plank, the BSP does not have many popular Muslim faces to take on the heavyweights campaigning, and contesting, for its rivals, especially in the Samajwadi Party -Congress alliance.