BSP routed from UP, Uttarakhand; end of road for Mayawati?
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati is about to reach rock bottom in Uttar Pradesh politics after her party BSP's dismal performance in the 2022 UP assembly elections. At the time of writing, BSP is leading in just one seat in the 403-seat assembly. Notably, Mayawati became the first Dalit woman chief minister of the country in the year 2007.
Why does this story matter?
Mayawati has been the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh four times already. Her win in the 2007 elections, which saw the predominantly Dalit-backed BSP defeat the reigning Samajwadi Party, is considered historic. However, the 66-year-old, who stayed near-invisible in the current Uttar Pradesh elections, has been in a political slumber since 2017 when the BJP thundered to victory.
Mayawati remained on the sidelines
Mayawati remained low-profile during the campaign trail for the UP polls and seldom interacted with the voters and media. Her main opponents saw her silence as an admission of defeat, while some assumed her agreement with the BJP, which she subsequently refuted as hearsay. Many top BSP officials, including from Dalit groups, either abandoned the party or were ousted for various reasons.
Difficult phase out of power for Mayawati
Mayawati's years out of office have been challenging. She lost many of her senior-most leaders, including BSP founders. Her supporters, including former state president Ram Achar Rajbhar and BSP Legislative Party leader Lalji Verma, defected to the Samajwadi Party just before the assembly elections. Mayawati and people close to her have also come under scrutiny from the central agencies.
Is Mayawati eyeing Lok Sabha polls?
Prior to the outcome, BSP officials believed Mayawati was preparing for a "bigger" role now and was focused on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. She has also designated in-charges for several states. However, the outcome on Thursday may have put a stop to that.
BSP failed to understand Dalits: Expert
"The BSP has never been effective in comprehending Dalits outside of UP," the Print quoted political analyst and scholar Sudha Pai as saying. She was decoding the party's performance in Punjab and Uttarakhand. In Uttarakhand, Pai ascribed BSP's poor performance to the proximity of the state's huge Brahmin population to the BJP, which was earlier captured by Congress.
BSP wiped out in Punjab and Uttarakhand
Like UP, the BSP has been annihilated in Punjab and Uttarakhand as well. According to Election Commission of India data, as of 06:30 pm, the party was leading in one seat in UP, 0 seats in Punjab, and won one seat in Uttarakhand. Earlier, the party supremo Mayawati had stated that the BSP will emerge victorious with a complete majority in elections.
