Unexpected announcement a year before elections: Mayawati says BSP will contest alone in three states

LUCKNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has announced that the party will contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab on its own. The elections in the three states are scheduled to be held next year. Mayawati said the decision was taken to prevent the party workers’ morale from being affected by the BSP’s repeated electoral defeats.

She said the BSP could give hope to the people of Punjab, who are unhappy and suffering due to what she described as the anti-people policies of the Aam Aadmi Party, Congress and BJP.

Mayawati made the announcement at a review meeting held at her residence in Lucknow on Tuesday in the presence of party office-bearers from the three states. She directed party leaders to strengthen the organisation at the grassroots level ahead of the elections. She also stressed that candidates should be hardworking and committed. Mayawati also directed party leaders to celebrate her birthday on January 15 next year as ‘Public Welfare Day’.

The BSP had also contested the 2022 Assembly elections on its own in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. In Uttar Pradesh, the party contested all 403 seats but won only one. It was the BSP’s worst electoral performance since the party was founded in 1984. The party secured only 12.88% of the votes across the state, while 287 of its candidates lost their deposits.

In Uttarakhand, the BSP contested 54 seats and won only two. It secured 4.88% of the total votes, while 49 candidates lost their deposits. In Punjab, the BSP had formed an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal. The BSP contested 20 seats but failed to win any, while the Shiromani Akali Dal won three of the 97 seats it contested. The BSP secured a total vote share of 1.77% in the state.