Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh – Mayawati, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief, dropped a bombshell: her party will contest the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections alone, shunning alliances with the BJP, Samajwadi Party (SP), or the INDIA bloc. The announcement, posted on X, has sparked a mix of cheers and jeers across the state, with supporters praising her resolve and critics calling it a risky move for a party already struggling to stay relevant.
Mayawati’s decision comes as no surprise to those who’ve followed her recent moves. The BSP has been bleeding support, with its vote share in UP dropping to 9.24% in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, a far cry from its 19.4% in 2019. The party won just one seat in the 2022 UP Assembly elections, and its once-loyal Dalit base, especially non-Jatav voters, is slipping away to rivals like the SP and Chandrasekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party (ASP). Mayawati insists going solo will keep her cadre united and focused on the BSP’s mission of Dalit empowerment, inspired by B.R. Ambedkar. She’s banking on grassroots strength to revive the party’s glory days, when it won 206 seats in 2007.
Supporters see this as a bold stand. “Behenji’s fighting for our pride,” said a BSP worker in Lucknow, arguing that alliances dilute the party’s identity. But critics aren’t so sure. Political analysts point to the BSP’s dismal track record when contesting alone—17 seats in 2017, one in 2022—and warn that Mayawati’s strategy could backfire. The rise of Azad, who’s gaining traction among young Dalit voters, and the SP’s aggressive outreach to non-Jatav Dalits and Muslims, pose serious threats. One X user quipped, “Mayawati’s solo run is like betting on a horse with three legs.”
The SP and Congress, part of the INDIA bloc, aren’t sweating Mayawati’s move. SP leader Akhilesh Yadav has been wooing Dalits and Muslims with his “Pichda, Dalit, Minority” (PDA) pitch, which helped the SP win 36 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Some analysts believe Mayawati’s decision could split the anti-BJP vote, indirectly helping the ruling party. Others argue it’s a desperate bid to reclaim relevance after the BSP’s poor showing in recent elections.
Mayawati’s not backing down, slamming the BJP and SP as “hand in glove” and accusing them of using divisive slogans to distract voters. But with the 2027 elections looming, the BSP faces an uphill battle. Can Mayawati rally her base and prove the naysayers wrong? Or will her solo gamble mark the end of an era? For now, UP’s political scene is buzzing with debate, and all eyes will be on Behenji’s next move.
