Allegedly, Mayawati has accused the BJP and SP of colluding, suggesting their partnership is focused on creating a three-way competition in every constituency, with the goal of positioning her party as a formidable contender against both.
While Mayawati and her nephew Akash Anand have been included in the party’s roster of prominent campaigners for the bypolls, reports suggest that these two leaders might not actively participate in the campaign activities.
Mayawati, the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and current president of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), has alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the main opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) are colluding, suggesting that they are feeling uneasy ever since her party jumped into the competition for the nine Assembly seats set for by-elections on November 20 in the state.
The 2022 UP Assembly elections resulted in the SP winning four out of nine seats, while the BJP secured three seats. The RLD and the NISHAD party each claimed one seat in this election.
The BSP secured the runner-up position in the SC-reserved Khair seat in Aligarh district, and claimed the third spot in seven other seats: Katehari, Phulpur, Meerapur, Karhal, Kundarki, Ghaziabad, and Majahwan.
In Khair, the BSP delivered a strong performance, securing 26% of the votes, although falling short to the BJP candidate by a margin of over 74,000 votes. The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), previously aligned with the SP, claimed the third spot with 16.57% of the total votes. It is noteworthy that the RLD is currently a member of the NDA coalition led by the BJP.
In Katehari, the SP emerged victorious by defeating the BJP’s ally NISHAD party with a lead of 7,696 votes. The BSP secured 58,482 votes (23.62% of the total votes). As the bypolls approach, the BJP, SP, and BSP have all nominated OBC candidates in the constituency, making it a three-way battle among the major political players.
The Phulpur constituency, predominantly influenced by OBCs, witnessed a victory for the BJP over SP by a slender margin of 2,732 votes. The BSP secured the third position with 33,036 votes, constituting 13.4% of the total votes cast.
In Majhawan, the NISHAD party won over the SP with a lead of 33,587 votes, while the BSP garnered 52,990 votes. Despite both the BJP and SP nominating OBC candidates for the seat’s bypoll, the BSP chose a Brahmin candidate.
The RLD emerged victorious in the Meerapur constituency during the 2022 elections, surpassing the BJP by a margin of 27,380 votes. The BSP secured the third position with 23,797 votes, equivalent to 11% of the total votes. In the subsequent bypolls, both the BSP and the SP nominated Muslim candidates for the same seat.
In the recent election, Akhilesh Yadav of the SP emerged victorious in the Karhal constituency by a significant margin of over 67,000 votes, defeating the BJP candidate SP Singh Baghel. Following closely behind was Kuldip Narayan of the BSP, securing the third position with 6.37% of the total votes. The upcoming bypolls will feature Avanish Kumar Shakya from the BSP, a prominent OBC leader. It is noteworthy that the Shakya community holds the second-highest influence among OBC groups in Karhal, right after the Yadavs. Tej Pratap Yadav, Akhilesh’s nephew, is the candidate nominated by the SP, whereas the BJP has also put forward a candidate from the Yadav community.
In Moradabad district, the SP emerged victorious in the Kundakri constituency, predominantly Muslim, by outperforming the BJP by a significant margin of 43,162 votes. Trailing behind, the BSP claimed the third position with 42,742 votes, equivalent to 15.73% of the total votes. Notably, the BSP has fielded a Muslim candidate in this region.
The BJP emerged victorious in the Ghaziabad constituency, securing a lead of 1.05 lakh votes over the SP, while the BSP claimed the third spot with 13.36% of the total votes.
The BSP secured the fourth position in the Sishamau constituency in 2022. The SP emerged victorious over the BJP by a margin of 12,266 votes. The BSP only managed to gather 2,937 votes, accounting for a mere 1.88% of the total vote share.
In the previous state Assembly elections, the Congress competed independently and secured the third position in Sishamau with 5,616 votes. However, in the ongoing by-elections, the Congress has formed an alliance with the SP and pledged its backing for the SP in all nine constituencies, following its inability to secure the desired seats for contesting.
Despite being included in the party’s list of star campaigners for the bypolls, Mayawati and her nephew Akash Anand, who serves as the BSP national coordinator, are reportedly unlikely to actively participate in the campaign trail according to sources.
Mayawati, in her recent announcement on Saturday, has urged voters to back her party in the upcoming by-elections. By nominating BSP candidates, she strategically aims to create a three-way competition across all nine constituencies, positioning her party as a formidable contender against both the BJP and the SP.
Allegedly, she has claimed that the BJP and the SP are participating in the elections with a supposed agreement between them.
Over the past few years, the BSP has experienced a downturn in Uttar Pradesh. During the 2022 Assembly elections, the party secured just one seat out of 403, witnessing a decrease in its vote share from 22.23% in the 2017 elections (19 seats) to 12.88%.
Despite contesting in 79 out of 80 seats in UP during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BSP failed to secure a victory in any seat, experiencing a decline in its vote share by 10% to 9.39%.
