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BSP Supremo Mayawati (Img: X)
Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati appears to be returning to her successful 2007 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election strategy as the party prepares for the 2027 polls. In a major outreach towards the Brahmin community, Mayawati has given a key election-related responsibility to her close aide and the party’s prominent Brahmin face, Satish Chandra Mishra.
BSP national general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra has now been entrusted with handling the party’s legal and media teams along with matters related to the Election Commission. The move comes at a crucial time when BSP is attempting to regain its political ground in Uttar Pradesh.
The slogan “Haathi Nahi Ganesh Hai... Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh Hai...” played a major role in BSP’s 2007 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election campaign. The party successfully built a social coalition by bringing together Dalits, Brahmins and other communities, helping Mayawati secure a full majority government.
In the 2007 elections, BSP won 206 Assembly seats with over 30% vote share. The victory was largely attributed to the Brahmin-Dalit alliance created through Mayawati’s social engineering strategy.
Now, nearly two decades later, the BSP chief is attempting to revive the same formula ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Mayawati has already started announcing her plans to field more Brahmin and upper-caste candidates in the upcoming elections.
She said that BSP’s decision to give representation to all sections of society, especially the Brahmin community, has created concern among rival parties.
“Since the BSP began nominating candidates from all sections of society — especially the Brahmin community — in a manner aligned with preparations to form a full-majority BSP government like in 2007, it is evident that discussions and concerns have arisen among opposition parties regarding this,” Mayawati said.
She also urged the Bahujan Samaj to remain alert against political strategies of rival parties.
After its historic victory in 2007, BSP’s electoral performance declined in subsequent elections.
The party managed only one Assembly seat in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh elections, with its vote share falling below 12%. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BSP failed to win a single seat in Uttar Pradesh and its vote share dropped below 10%.
Mayawati’s renewed Brahmin outreach is being seen as an effort to rebuild the party’s lost support base.
The biggest challenge before BSP is the changing political preferences of voters in Uttar Pradesh.
Brahmins, who make up around 10% of the state’s electorate, have largely supported the BJP in recent elections. According to CSDS-Lokniti data, a large majority of Brahmin voters backed the BJP in the 2022 Assembly elections.
At the same time, BSP has also faced challenges in retaining its traditional Dalit vote base, with a section of Dalit voters shifting towards the BJP in recent elections.
