BSP draws rejuvenation plan with BAMCEF revamp, formation of bhaichara committees
The BSP’s plan to form ‘bhaichara’ committees is aimed at connecting with Dalits, backward classes, Muslims and Brahmins to counter Samajwadi Party’s PDA formula
Looking to rejuvenate the party after successive poll losses, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) plans to strengthen its forerunner the All India Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF) and form “bhaichara” (brotherhood) committees of the BSP to ramp up its public connect.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has decided to restructure BAMCEF and gave necessary directions to party functionaries in this connection at a state-level meeting of office bearers in Lucknow on Thursday. The meeting was held to review the preparations for assembly bypolls for 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh.
A senior party functionary confirmed that the BSP chief asked party office bearers to appoint a BAMCEF convenor and 10 co-convenors in every Uttar Pradesh and coordinators at the assembly constituency level.
He said she abolished the BSP’s existing sector system, which was formed by merging three divisions, and the previously existed divisional system has been reinstated. Besides, each division will have a chief coordinator and three to four additional coordinators.
“To strengthen the BSP at the grassroots level, Mayawati has announced plans to form ‘Bhaichara’ (brotherhood) committees to connect with Dalits, backward classes, Muslims, and Brahmins to counter Pichda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak (backward, scheduled castes and tribes and Muslims), abbreviated as PDA, formulation of Samajwadi Party since recently held Lok Sabha polls. In addition, Muslim and Brahmin brotherhood committees will be formed in each district to connect people from these communities with the party,” he stated, explaining the party’s plan to regain its vote base.
Mayawati has also instructed the formation of booth and sector committees to reorganise the party at the grassroots level, starting from her birthday on January 15. The BSP will contest the upcoming assembly by-elections and the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections on its own.
The BSP suffered its sixth successive electoral debacle in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when it failed to win any seat and its vote share shrank to 9.39% .
As for BAMCEF, it was initially established by BSP founder Kanshiram in 1971 to connect government employees of “oppressed” communities, including Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and minority communities. BAMCEF was officially launched in a convention held at Delhi on December 6, 1978, around six years before the inception of BSP, to fight inequality and abolish the caste system.
Kanshiram established BAMCEF to organize educated people from SC, ST, OBC and Minority communities and make them powerful enough to capture political power.
The organisation also raised funds to promote their work and for training.
Meanwhile, the BSP will also hold a major event in Lucknow on October 9 to commemorate Kanshi Ram’s death anniversary. Besides, the party workers will participate at the events to be organised at Bahujan Prerna Sthal at Meerut, Agra, Aligarh divisions as well as in Gautam Buddhnagar.