New statue of India's Dalit icon

The new statue is heavier and taller than the earlier one (Pics: Kumar Prithvi)

A new life-size statue of the chief minister of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has replaced an earlier one put up just six weeks ago.

The old statue of Mayawati was removed by crane at midnight in the state capital, Lucknow.

Mayawati is an icon for millions of Dalits or "untouchables" as they used to be known earlier.

She is known for her obsession with statues - of past Dalit leaders and also herself.

Statues of political leaders are generally put up posthumously, but Ms Mayawati defends the installation of her statues in her lifetime saying the belief is "outdated".

Marginally different

Weighing 18 tonnes, the new statue is heavier and taller than the earlier one.

The BBC's Ram Dutt Tripathi in Lucknow says its facial features are marginally different and a shoulder bag has been added to the statue to give it a more professional look.

"Madam did not like the face and body of her earlier statue so we are putting up a new one on her orders," an engineer involved in the project said.

The earlier statue was inaugurated with much fanfare in the middle of April on the occasion of the Dalit icon Babasaheb Ambedkar's birth anniversary.

The statue has been installed at the controversial Ambedkar memorial park. Critics say the park - built in honour of a man who championed the lower castes who are generally poor - is far too expensive.

Ever since Ms Mayawati led her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to a thumping victory in assembly elections in India's most populous state in May 2007, she has commissioned many statues of herself and other Dalit icons.

But in Uttar Pradesh, which is one of India's most backward states with a high crime rate, poor health services and very high illiteracy rates, Ms Mayawati's spending on statues and memorials has come in for sharp criticism from many people.