Mayawati Reaffirms BSP's Solo Strategy, Calls For Unity Behind Akash Anand At Lucknow Rally

Lucknow: On the 19th death anniversary of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) founder Kanshi Ram, party chief Mayawati addressed a massive rally in Lucknow on Thursday, making a series of important political announcements and sharp statements against rival parties.

The BSP chief declared that the party will contest the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections alone, accused rival political outfits of forming a "secret alliance" to keep the BSP out of power, and urged her supporters to extend unwavering loyalty to national coordinator Akash Anand, whom she praised for his commitment to the party's mission.

The event, which drew lakhs of BSP workers and supporters from across Uttar Pradesh, marked both a remembrance of Kanshi Ram’s social movement and a renewed assertion of Mayawati’s leadership and strategy in a changing political landscape.

BSP to Contest 2027 UP Elections Alone

Declaring that her party will not enter into any pre-poll alliances, Mayawati said the BSP's past experiences had shown that such arrangements benefited partner parties but weakened her own organisation. "Based on our experience so far, I want to make it clear that whenever our party has contested Assembly elections in alliance, especially here in Uttar Pradesh, we have not benefited in any significant way," she said.

Mayawati alleged that while the BSP's votes were transferred to alliance partners, the same support was never reciprocated. "Our votes get transferred one-sidedly to the alliance partner, but because of their castiest mindset, their votes do not come to our candidates. As a result, our candidates win fewer seats, and our overall vote share declines," she asserted.

The BSP chief also referred to the instability of coalition governments involving her party. “Whenever we have formed a coalition government in Uttar Pradesh, it has collapsed before completing its term," she said, recalling the 1993 alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the 1996 alliance with the Congress. "In both elections, we won only 67 seats," she added.

In contrast, she said, the BSP achieved its best results when contesting alone. "In 2002, when we fought the (Uttar Pradesh) Assembly elections without any alliance, we won around 100 seats, including two Independent candidates who could not get the party symbol in time. That performance boosted the morale of our party workers. Again, in 2007, when we fought alone, we formed a full-majority government on our own for the first time in the state’s history," she added.

According to her, alliances not only fail to strengthen the BSP but also harm the spirit of its social movement. "Such alliances weaken our movement and mission," she said, adding that the BSP's focus remains on inclusive development and social justice rather than political convenience.

Accusation of a 'Secret Alliance' Against BSP

Mayawati accused rival parties, including the Congress, BJP, and Samajwadi Party, of working in concert behind the scenes to prevent the BSP from returning to power in Uttar Pradesh.

"After the BSP formed a full-majority government in 2007, our government worked for the welfare of every section of society, which increased our popularity across the country. Seeing this, casteist and capitalist forces became afraid and secretly joined hands to ensure that the BSP never returns to power," she said.

She alleged that in subsequent elections, rival parties transferred their votes strategically to defeat BSP candidates. "In every election, whether Assembly or Lok Sabha, these parties have secretly united to stop us. Wherever the BSP was winning, they diverted their votes against us," she claimed.

Mayawati also raised questions about the credibility of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). "The remaining gap was filled by manipulation in the EVMs. There has been widespread opposition to the EVM system, and given the situation, it could be scrapped anytime. There is a strong possibility that the paper ballot system may be brought back," she said.

"The Congress, BJP, SP, and other parties will use every conspiracy and trick to stop us, but we must defeat them with unity, hard work, and discipline," she added.

Attack on Samajwadi Party’s ‘Double Face’

Targeting the SP directly, Mayawati accused it of being “two-faced” and of remembering Dalit icons only when politically convenient. “When they are in power, they neither remember PDA (Pichhda-Dalit-Alpashankhak) nor our saints and great personalities. But the moment they lose power, they suddenly start paying tribute to our gurus and leaders. People need to be cautious of such double-faced individuals," she said.

She accused the SP of neglecting the Dalit memorials and parks built under her government. "They did not spend even a single rupee on their maintenance and even pocketed the ticket revenue. Now, when they are out of power, they say they will hold seminars in Kanshi Ram ji’s name," she said.

Referring to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati slammed his decision to rename Kanshiram Nagar district back to Kasganj. “If he truly respected Kanshi Ram ji, he would not have changed the name of the district. We named universities and institutions after our great leaders, but the SP government shut them down. If this is not double character, then what is?" she asked.

Mayawati also extended thanks to the current Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government for ensuring the upkeep of the parks and memorials established under her tenure. "I wrote to the Chief Minister requesting that the ticket money collected from visitors be used for maintenance. The BJP government assured us that the funds would be used only for that purpose, and they did so. For this, our party is thankful," she said.

Call for Unity Behind Akash Anand

Mayawati used the occasion to publicly reaffirm her faith in Akash Anand, her nephew, describing him as a tireless worker dedicated to strengthening the organisation. "Now, Akash Anand has become deeply involved in the BSP's mission. Under my guidance, he is putting in his full effort to strengthen the organisation and expand its base, which has generated great enthusiasm among party workers," she said.

"Just as BSP members across the country stood firmly with me during and after Kanshi Ram ji’s lifetime, they should now also stand with Akash in every situation and extend their full support," she said.

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