The wipeout of Mayawati-Led BSP in the Uttar Pradesh politics has been proved with the Assembly Polls result of 2022. It seems that the declining popularity of the BSP in UP has reached its lowest point with a win of just one seat in the 403 seat UP Assembly. Another concerning aspect is that BSP was expected to give tough competition by consolidating its traditional voter base.
Mayawati-Led BSP was expected to perform well at the regional level if not at the national level. When the BSP set off contesting in the UP Assembly Polls, it won 13 seats in 1989. So, this is the worst score of the Party. Let’s know about the core voter base of BSP and the possible reasons for its Defeat in detail.
The Core Voter Base of BSP:
Kanshi Ram founded the Bahujan Samaj Party. As per him, the Bahujans comprised 85 per cent of India’s population. However, they were divided into 6,000 different castes. Consequently, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was formed to represent Bahujans (it means community in the majority). It refers to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other backward classes in Indian society. BSP’s election symbol is an Elephant. It is inspired by Dr Ambedkar’s Scheduled Castes Federation that used the symbol.
What are the Possible Reasons for the Defeat of BSP?
Some possible reasons for the defeat of BSP in the UP Assembly Polls of 2022 can be:
- The Lack of Active Campaigning by BSP Supremo Mayawati’- BSP Supremo Mayawati is one of the biggest and most popular leaders in UP politics. After taking the party’s reins in 2001, she has been the frontrunner and prime face for the party. But, for the crucial UP Polls, she emerged much late in the scene. She began her rallies just days before the first voting phase.
- BJP’s Successful bid to get the confidence of BSP’s voter base- The BSP tried to gain support from the poor sections of the society. But, it could not succeed because the BJP’s free ration and freebies attracted those sections. Consequently, their support went to the BJP instead of the BSP.
Image Source: bbc - Supporting BJP time and again- The BSP fought the 2017 Assembly Elections and 2019 Parliament Polls against the BJP. But, at the same time, it supported the BJP on several issues. Even in the past, the BSP had formed the government with support from the BJP. Consequently, the voter who wanted a change did not support the party.
- Aligning with the SP Time and Again– SP and BSP, both have a different set of voter bases in the UP. At the same time, both parties are different in ideologies and approaches. However, the BSP and SP came together on several occasions, including the 2019 national polls. Consequently, the voters who preferred BSP for its ideologies got confused about its shifting loyalties and chose to go with other alternatives.
- Shifting from the Core ideologies of Kanshi Ram– Kanshi Ram was the founder of BSP. The party was formed on a belief in “Social Transformation and Economic Emancipation” of the “Bahujan Samaj”. As mentioned above, the party signifies the SC, ST, and OBC sections of Indian society. The party credits B. R. Ambedkar, a supporter of the Bahujan rights, as its essential ideological inspiration. The party speaks in favour of religious minorities.
Summing up,
The BSP registered its worst performance in the UP Assembly Polls with around 13% vote share. There are multiple reasons for the declining performance of the party. It needs to introspect and work hard on its internal and external organization while becoming more active at all levels of politics to improve its performance.
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