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Surprise visit to Mayawati’s house by 2 Congress leaders sparks UP alliance buzz
Tanuj Punia and Rajendra Pal Gautam of the Congress, were turned back from Mayawati’s gated residence
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An unscheduled visit by two Dalit Congress leaders to the Lucknow residence of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday sparked intense speculation about potential political realignments in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.
Tanuj Punia, the Barabanki Lok Sabha MP and Rajendra Pal Gautam, who heads the Scheduled Caste department of the Congress, were turned back from Mayawati’s gated residence because they did not have an appointment.
Some suggested that the impromptu visit could have been a trial balloon for a new coalition. Punia rejected any such suggestion, insisting that their spontaneous gesture reflected their personal respect for the ageing community elder, and not politics.
“Gautam told us that Mayawati is a senior leader of our community...we should visit her to know about her well being. We decided to make an impromptu visit to her without prior appointment...Party leadership did not direct us to meet her. Since she is a big leader of the Dalit community, we visited her residence to know about her health. We could not meet her since she was busy,” Punia said.
Congress UP in-charge Avinash Pande said the party took notice of the visit. “The visit was not authorised from the party and the leaders have done in individual capacity,” Pande said.
UP Congress president Ajay Rai said, “The party gave no permission for the visit...such visits are cleared by the party leadership in advance.”
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Some Congress leaders said it was possible that the outreach had the leadership's approval.
“It’s part of the Congress strategy to send a message to the parties that it is open to an alliance and is also working to bring the BSP into an alliance to defeat the BJP in the 2027 assembly election,” one of them said.
BSP state president Vishwanath Pal said he had no knowledge about the visit.
Mayawati has announced that her party will go solo in the 2027 assembly election in UP. The BSP only won one seat in the 2022 assembly election and drew a blank in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. As the assembly elections draws near, Mayawati might redraw her strategy to regain lost ground in UP.
Some smaller political parties such as Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen have already sent feelers to the BSP for a pre-poll alliance, said political observer SK Srivasatva.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said his party will continue the alliance with Congress in the 2027 assembly election. “The seat sharing in the assembly election will be done on the winnability formula,” he said.
