Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati declared on Wednesday that her party would independently contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024, as well as the State Legislative Assembly polls.
This decision firmly distances the BSP from both the recently-formed Opposition alliance, INDIA, and the BJP-led NDA, as Mayawati emphasised that the BSP would pursue its agenda without any alliances.
Mayawati’s statement puts an end to speculations about a potential alliance between her party and the Congress in Uttar Pradesh for the next parliamentary elections.
In a video statement, the 67-year-old leader asserted that the BSP’s preparations for the elections were in full swing, and they were determined to contest alone. She also expressed openness to collaborating with regional parties in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and others, where such arrangements align with the party’s interests.
Mayawati launched a scathing attack on the Congress and its rebranding of the UPA as “INDIA.” She accused the Congress of forging alliances with casteist and capitalist parties solely to gain power.
Accusing the Congress of neglecting the interests of oppressed classes, she said, “Had the Congress kept aside its casteist and capitalist mindset, worked towards the welfare of the poor and the oppressed, and followed the principles of B R Ambedkar, the need to form the BSP would not have arisen.”
Similarly, she expressed her view that there was no substantial difference between the BJP and the Congress, asserting that both alliances were making empty promises and implementing policies that disregarded the welfare of the underprivileged, Dalits, and Muslims.
Mayawati’s discontent with the current political landscape was evident as she highlighted her exclusion from the recent meeting of opposition parties in Bengaluru.
Her party has been actively strategising for the 2024 general elections, conducting meetings with units in Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh to discuss preparations and strategies.
Mayawati also stated that the BSP is open to tie-ups with regional parties in Punjab and Haryana, provided they have no affiliations with the ruling NDA alliance or the newly-formed opposition coalition ‘INDIA.’
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BSP formed an alliance with the SP in Uttar Pradesh, securing 10 seats with 19.43 per cent of the votes, while the SP won five seats. However, in the 2022 UP Assembly elections, the BSP received only one seat and 12.88 per cent of the votes. The party is now focusing on building a Dalit-OBC-Muslim alliance in an effort to regain lost ground and make an impact in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
