Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati will launch her party’s electioneering for UP assembly polls from Agra on February 2, said BSP national general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra in a tweet. “The BSP chief will address a public meeting in Agra while following the Covid guidelines announced by the Election Commission of India,” Mishra tweeted.
Agra district, which has a large chunk of Dalit voters, has been a BSP stronghold ever since Kanshi Ram founded the party in 1984. The BSP chief is working to regain hold over the base vote of the party–Dalits—after the saffron brigade made inroad into the Scheduled Caste voters in the 2017 UP assembly election.
“Riding on Dalit-Muslim alliance, the BSP has been able to bag maximum seats in Agra in the successive assembly elections. In the 2007 assembly election when the BSP formed the government, the party had won six of the nine assembly seats in Agra district. In the 2012 polls when the Samajwadi Party wave swept the state, the BSP managed to maintain hold in Agra by winning six assembly seats,” said a BSP leader.
In the 2017 UP polls, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) was able to made inroad into the BSP citadel by bagging all the nine assembly seats in the district. The BSP candidates were runners-up in the eight assembly seats. Along with consolidating its hold over the Dalit voters, the BSP is working on backward-Muslim and forward community alliance formula in the 2022 assembly election.
{{/usCountry}}In the 2017 UP polls, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) was able to made inroad into the BSP citadel by bagging all the nine assembly seats in the district. The BSP candidates were runners-up in the eight assembly seats. Along with consolidating its hold over the Dalit voters, the BSP is working on backward-Muslim and forward community alliance formula in the 2022 assembly election.
{{/usCountry}}For the first phase of UP election to be held on 58 assembly seats spread in 11 districts, including Agra, on February 10, the BSP has given tickets to 16 Muslim candidates, 18 OBC, 9 Dalits and 15 upper castes nominees.
Even as the rival parties, including the BJP, the SP and the Congress launched their election campaign after the slowdown in the second Covid wave in July last, the BSP chief did not address public meetings. However, BSP national general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra addressed Brahmin conferences in all 75 districts of the state.
“Mayawati was screening and finalising candidates for the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab where the BSP is contesting the polls in alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). After finalising candidates on all the seats, she is launching the election campaign of the party. The BSP has announced 30 star campaigners for the party that include Mayawati her brother Anand Kumar, who is national vice president, and SC Mishra,” said a BSP leader.
The state will vote in seven phases—February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, March 3 and 7. The counting of votes for all 403 assembly seats will be held on March 10.