With the reality of the electoral losses setting in, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has got the whip cracking on government officials, including many ertswhile blue-eyed policemen. On their part, senior police officers are making what many allege are mere cosmetic changes in the force.

Mayawati has apparently realised that bad policing and corrupt officials were some of the key factors that led to her party's setback. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won only 21 of the state's 80 Lok Sabha seats, a sharp fall from the 40-odd it thought it could bag.

The chief minister ordered the shunting of police chiefs of many districts where the BSP failed and asked senior policemen to pull up their socks.