Mayawati to Contest 2024 Lok Sabha Polls Alone, Know Reason Behind BIG Announcement

Lucknow, Uttar Presh: Amid rumours of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) joining INDI bloc, Mayawati on Monday stated that her party will go solo in upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections and will fight on all seats against every party. BSP will neir join hands with Opposition nor with ruling NDA and work independently in Uttar Presh, she ded. 

dressing reporters on occassion of her 68th birthday, Uttar Presh former Chief Minister Mayawati said, “re are lot of speculations that I am retiring from politics but it's not true. Akash Anand is now successor of party and I will continue to strengn party in Uttar Presh ahe of Lok Sabha polls. party works for poor and marginalised community and we are committed towards party and not withdrawing from political arena.”

decline of BSP started after 2012 Uttar Presh Assembly elections. However, Mayawati in 2012 asseted that loss of her votes is majorly because of shift of Muslim votes in pockets of Samajwi Party. decline of Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Presh in 2022 is nothing short of a collapse.

Rise and Fall of Mayawati in Electoral Politics

In 2007, BSP won a small majority in state assembly- 206 out of 403 seats- with 30.4 per cent of votes. fragmentation of electorate meant that winning thresholds were generally low at constituency level on an average of 35 per cent of vote from 2002 to 2012. In 2012, Bahujan Samaj Party captured 80 seats with 25.9 per cent of vote. In 2017, it garnered only 19 seats with a 22.2 per cent vote share. After 2017 elections, most commentators thought that party h reached its floor.

In 2022, however, Bahujan Samaj Party suffered a massive electoral loss with vote percentage dipping to 12.9. party has now been reduced to a single seat in Rasra, Ballia district, which elected Umashankar Singh, a first-time contestant who has a business background.

Since inception of Bahujan Samaj Party in 1984, party was known for using wealth, power and focusing on caste engineering to woo voters. Most of party's candidates came from a business background and used ir wealth to enter politics by acquiring Bahujan Samaj Party tickets which more than with or parties happened to be for sale. Since 2014 Lok Sabha elections, divide in Non-Jatav Dalit vote banks led to start of decline of BSP in it's major strong pockets.

Decoding Dalit votebank in Uttar Presh, Political Activist Ram Kumar told Republic, “Call it travesty of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) as it recorded third-largest share of votes across country, but didn't win a single seat in 2014 . party's vote share stood at 4.2% after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 31.3%  and Congress's 19.5%.”

"In 2009 Lok Sabha elections, BSP secured 19.82 per cent of votes in Uttar Presh, against 27.42 per cent in 2009 elections. Anor reason behind Mayawati's defeat is her failure to unite socially backward with upper castes. In her quest to garner both Muslims and upper cast, Mayawati ignored her core voters which is Jatavs and scheduled class. She took m for granted. ir leers would simply ignore Dalits to favour Muslims."

"In 2019 BSP SP "Mahagathbandhan" in which BSP contested on 38 seats and won 10 seats while SP contested on 37 seats won 5 seats in Uttar Presh . social engineering formula of bringing Brahmins, Dalits, Muslims and OBCs toger backlashed SP-BSP alliance. Both parties parted ways after elections stating that or partner didn't ensure transfer of votes, first one to break alliance was BSP. Many claim press conference by Mayawati in which she announced breaking ties with SP was not even informed to Akhilesh Yav. BSPs vote share in 2019 was 1.84 per cent," he ded. 

'Many Reasons to Not Join Opposition Bloc' 

BSP MP Malook Nagar said, “Congress has always backstabbed BSP and re are many reasons for BSP to not join opposition forces. In 2018, after Mhya presh, Rajasthan elections, several sitting BSP MLAs were bribed and y switched sides and joined Congress party. In Mhya Presh, 7 BSP MLAs, in Rajasthan 6 BSP MLAs and 3 BSP MLAs in Uttarakhand changed sides.” 

“In Mhya Presh, winds of change was seen when Congress party broke unity in BSP and managed to sway MLA's to ir side, subsequently ditching BSP. This happened when BSP unconditionally supported Congress in se states. If Congress would have stayed on pact n today BSP would have joined INDI bloc but Congress didn't appologise and not even agreed to BSPs 2 year earlier demand to make Mayawati PM candidate of opoosition,” he said.  

“Today Behenji Mayawati declined speculations and this will benefit BJP directly in 2024 Lok Sabha elections. By 2029, Congress will completely Vanish from country, downfall of Grand old party has started. In 2019, BSP bagged 20.5 per cent votes and in 2022 UP Assembly, BSP bagged 13.5 per cent votes. So BSPs vote bank is still intact with BSP. Yes situation is not same as 2009 but party is working on ground to strengn cre and revive lost trust amongst dalits and Jatavs,” BSP MP ded. 

SP MP Clears Air on Truce with BSP

Samajwi Party MP from Morab St Hassan, said, “I was earlier also surprised why Congress leers were making such vague statements on BSP-SP truce and BSP joining INDI bloc. Mayawati in October 2023 cleared air and hinted that BSP will fight alone in Loksabha elections.”

“Samajwi Party was shocked in 2019 as BSP broke ties and to strengn ties again, no such effort was done by Mayawati. Akhikesh Yav got to know through a press meet only that BSP has broken ties in 2019. Congress will be only at loss with BSP not joining hands because now Dalits don't vote Mayawati widely and have switched largely to BJP. BJPs social stategy on ground to attract OBCs and Dalits through several schemes will work in re favour. Only 7% votebank of Jatav will vote for BSP.” 

“ exodus of BSP started when tall leers like Swami Pras Maurya, Lalji Verma, Babu Singh Kushwaha, Nakul dubey, Naseemuddin Siddiqui and Ram Achal Rajbhar, left party costing a huge dent to party in Uttar Presh. BSP from 21 seats in 2009 fell to zero seats in 2014, this is reality of BSP," he ded. 

Giving clarification on Congress-SP ties, he said, "As for Samajwi Party, all is well between Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi. Within 15 days, seat sharing arrangement would be finalised. Akhilesh Yav has clearly told Congress leers that sitting seats will be fought again by SP and larger seat share will be with SP as it is largest opposition party in Uttar Presh. Congress should only contest on winnable seats because it has lost major vote share in Uttar Presh. "