The Bahujan Samaj Party failed to open its account in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana and bagged just two seats in Rajasthan, negating party president chief Mayawati’s strategy of emerging as a “kingmaker” even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got a majority in three states while the Congress won comfortably in Telangana.
The BSP polled 2.09 per cent of the votes in Chhattisgarh, 1.82 per cent in Rajasthan, 3.32 per cent in Madhya Pradesh and 1.38 per cent in Telangana this time, faring worse than it had done in 2018. Sadulpur and Bari in Rajasthan were the only seats that the BSP won this time.
The BSP had polled 4.03% votes and bagged six assembly seats in Rajasthan in 2018. The party had secured 5.01% votes and won two seats in Madhya Pradesh five years ago. In Chhattisgarh, it had polled 3.87% votes and bagged two seats in 2018.
In Telangana, the BSP had fielded candidates on 106 assembly seats but failed to open its account in 2018 whereas in the 2014 assembly election, it had bagged two seats even as BRS (then TRS) wave swept the state.
The BSP, which had announced to go solo this year, later formed an alliance with Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh after declaration of the poll schedule by the Election Commission.
{{/usCountry}}The BSP, which had announced to go solo this year, later formed an alliance with Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh after declaration of the poll schedule by the Election Commission.
{{/usCountry}}Negating speculation that the BSP may join the Congress-led Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Mayawati had maintained equidistance from the two national political blocs.
“The BSP will emerge as the third front in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana,” the party’s national coordinator and Mayawati’s nephew Akash Anand, who led the campaign, had stated.
Mayawati had planned the assembly election campaign in the four states as the launch pad for Akash in national politics as well as to send a message to the party cadre that he will be her political successor.
During the election campaign, BSP leaders had attacked Azad Samaj Party chief Chandrashekhar Azad who had fielded candidates in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
Ahead of the election, Mayawati amended her poll strategy to check defections that had halted the BSP plan to expand its base in these four states.
She announced that her party would take a call on joining the government after assembly elections in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana to emerge as “balance of power”.
The BSP had released its assembly election manifesto for Telangana, promising jobs to youths, land to the poor people, house to the homeless, reservation in jobs to women as well as distribution of free washing machines and smartphones among women.
Mayawati had addressed eight rallies each in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and two rallies each in Chhattisgarh and Telangana in support of party candidates.