Mayawati holds key strategic meeting in Lucknow for 2027 Assembly Elections

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati, convened an important meeting in Lucknow to safeguard her political existence and secure victory in the upcoming 2027 Assembly elections. Held at the party's state headquarters (12 Mall Avenue) in Lucknow, the meeting focused on a comprehensive strategy to make 'Mission-2027' a success. The primary objective of the meeting was to finalise preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections and further strengthen the party organisation.

District presidents from all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh, divisional coordinators, and office-bearers of various levels were summoned for this significant conference. Akash Anand, Mayawati's nephew and the National Coordinator of the BSP, was also present. Through this meeting, Mayawati provided guidance on activating the organisation at the grassroots level and established specific criteria for selecting winnable candidates. Additionally, reports were taken on previous instructions regarding strengthening the organisation at the booth and cadre levels, expanding the popular base, and achieving 'Sarv Samaj' (social engineering).

According to a statement released by the BSP state office, Mayawati addressed all senior office-bearers and district in-charges of the state unit. This meeting is considered extremely decisive from an electoral perspective, as directions were given to streamline the grassroots organisation, review election preparations, and finalise the names of effective candidates. Simultaneously, a review of previous efforts to expand the party's reach across all sections under the policy of 'Sarvjan Hitay, Sarvjan Sukhay' was conducted to prepare a future roadmap.

During the meeting, the announcement was made to organise a massive public meeting in Lucknow on December 6. The date of December 6 holds immense historical significance for Bahujan politics, as it marks the demise of the architect of the Constitution, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, which the BSP and the Dalit community observe as 'Mahaparinirvan Diwas'. Every year, Mayawati pays tribute at the Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Social Change Site (Ambedkar Memorial) in Lucknow. This year, by gathering lakhs of workers before the 2027 elections, the BSP intends to send a message that its traditional and cadre vote bank remains strongly attached to it. The leaders present at the meeting pledged to make this rally historic.

Politically, Mayawati has adopted the 'go it alone' policy and clarified her decision to contest the elections independently. In the current political scenario, the BSP faces a major challenge in keeping its traditional voters united. The Samajwadi Party, through its 'PDA' (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpasankhyak) alliance, is attempting to create a breach in the BSP's core voter base. On the other hand, Chandra Shekhar Azad's Azad Samaj Party is strengthening its grip on Dalit youth, leading to fears of fragmentation in the BSP's base votes. To counter these challenges, Mayawati has played a card to establish undisputed dominance over her core vote bank through the mega-rally on December 6.

Furthermore, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is holding a large rally in Agra on November 15 to woo the Dalit community, and the Congress is also making continuous efforts. At such a time, Mayawati aims to break crowd records in Lucknow to prove that only the BSP can truly represent the Bahujan Samaj. Rather than viewing Dalits merely as a 'vote bank', the BSP has awakened them toward their historical identity and rights, keeping the struggles and thoughts of Dr. Ambedkar at the centre.

During Mayawati's tenure, memorials and parks such as the 'National Dalit Prerna Sthal' and 'Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Social Change Symbolic Sthal' were constructed in Lucknow and Noida, aiming to establish Dalit consciousness, pride, and cultural presence. Protecting the Indian Constitution drafted by Dr. Ambedkar and the provisions of reservation, equality, and social justice contained therein is a central part of the BSP's policy. The party remains politically and socially vocal against any changes or neglect regarding reservations.

The BSP has begun announcing the names of its candidates in Uttar Pradesh. Akash Anand and BSP divisional coordinators are visiting different areas to announce candidates. Mayawati's effort is to turn the 2027 election into a triangular contest instead of a bipolar fight between the BJP and SP. For this, she is attempting to repeat her 2007 'social engineering' formula, with efforts being made to bring Brahmins on board.

In recent elections, the BSP's performance has been quite weak. In the 2022 Assembly elections, the party could win only one seat. Consequently, Mayawati faces the dual responsibility of boosting the morale of the workers and breathing new life into the organisational structure. Although Akash Anand has been brought to the forefront for campaigning, winning an election is not easy without activating the cadre. Considering all these factors, this Lucknow meeting and the December 6 rally will be extremely important for the BSP.

Regarding the background of the BSP, the party was founded by Kanshi Ram and is currently led by Mayawati as its president. The BSP formed a government with a full majority in Uttar Pradesh in 2007. The party's politics has been entirely based on the thoughts of Dr. Ambedkar and the rights of Dalits.