By M Hasan
Lucknow: After several years of political dormancy and declining electoral fortunes, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati has made a vigorous return to the political center stage, determined to rebuild her party’s lost ground in Uttar Pradesh and beyond.
Energized by the massive turnout at the BSP’s October 9 rally in Lucknow, the four-time former Chief Minister has summoned a crucial strategy conference of state-level party functionaries to craft a comprehensive roadmap for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and the Panchayat polls scheduled for next year.
The resounding success of the Lucknow rally, which coincided with the death anniversary of BSP founder Kanshi Ram, has infused fresh life into the party’s cadre. BSP leaders claim that nearly five lakh supporters attended the event — one of the largest gatherings the party has seen in recent years.
Buoyed by this show of strength, Mayawati is now preparing to tour extensively across Uttar Pradesh, reconnecting with workers and revitalizing the grassroots structure that once made BSP a formidable political force.
A Renewed Political Mission
According to senior party insiders, Mayawati’s renewed engagement marks a decisive break from years of political inertia that followed BSP’s successive electoral setbacks in 2022 and 2024.
The leadership vacuum and the party’s shrinking presence in the state assembly — where it won just one seat in 2022 — had disheartened many workers.
The wipeout in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where BSP failed to secure a single seat, further deepened the crisis.
In 2019, BSP had tasted moderate success, winning 10 Lok Sabha seats in alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP), but the partnership collapsed ahead of 2024.
Out of the party’s 79 candidates in the last parliamentary polls, 69 lost their deposits, and only 10 managed to cross the 16% vote mark.
The dismal performance, combined with Mayawati’s perceived political aloofness and her decision to temporarily sideline her nephew Akash Anand over a controversial campaign speech, created an impression that BSP was fading into irrelevance.
Now, however, Mayawati appears determined to rewrite that narrative.
Reclaiming the Core Vote Bank
Sources within the BSP reveal that the party is actively working on a plan to bring back disillusioned leaders and supporters who had drifted away over the past few years.
The focus will be on reconnecting with Dalits, Muslims, Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), and Brahmins — communities that once formed the bedrock of BSP’s “Sarvajan Samaj” coalition.
Mayawati’s political calculus is based on changing ground realities.
Party strategists believe that disenchantment is brewing among Dalit voters who had switched allegiance to the BJP, and that sections of the Brahmin community are increasingly uneasy with the current regime.
The BSP aims to capitalize on this shifting sentiment by presenting itself as a credible and inclusive alternative.
To achieve this, Mayawati is planning a rainbow alliance of Dalit–Backward–Muslim communities, a direct counter to the Samajwadi Party’s PDA (Pichchda–Dalit–Alpsankhyak) formula that helped SP make inroads into BSP’s traditional voter base in the last elections.
Akash Anand Returns to the Fore
In a significant move, Mayawati has also decided to reintroduce her nephew Akash Anand — the party’s national coordinator and her political heir apparent — into the BSP’s public campaign.
The aunt-nephew duo is expected to launch a joint tour of the state immediately after the Bihar Assembly elections, for which the BSP has already announced its first list of 40 candidates.
Tomorrow’s high-level meeting in Lucknow will finalize the details of their statewide outreach program, which aims to rebuild the party’s organizational strength from the ground up.
A Comeback Fueled by Discontent
The timing of Mayawati’s renewed activism could not be more significant.
With growing disillusionment among Dalits and lower OBC groups who once backed the BJP, and increasing dissatisfaction among Brahmins, political observers see a potential opportunity for the BSP to stage a meaningful comeback.
Mayawati’s October 9 address reflected this new determination. Speaking before a massive crowd, she acknowledged the party’s recent stagnation and promised to engage more directly with workers, vowing to restore the BSP’s old discipline and ideological clarity.
The Bahujan Samaj Party was founded to give a political voice to the voiceless. That mission remains as relevant today as ever,” she declared, as chants of “Behenji Zindabad!” echoed across the rally ground.
The Road to 2027
For Mayawati, this resurgence is not merely about electoral arithmetic — it is about reviving the BSP’s ideological core and reclaiming the space of social justice politics in Uttar Pradesh.
Her renewed vigor signals that the “Iron Lady of Dalit politics” is far from done.
As the BSP gears up for a busy political calendar — from Panchayat polls next year to the high-stakes 2027 Assembly elections — Mayawati’s re-entry into active politics could reshape the dynamics of Uttar Pradesh once again.
( M Hasan is a Former Chief of Bureau, Hindustan Times, Lucknow)
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