While terming Samajwadi Party (SP) a ‘Dalit-Virodhi’ party, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Monday once again made it clear that it would contest solo in the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls. Besides, BSP chief Mayawati made it clear that the party would maintain distance from those with casteist and communal ideologies, re-assuring that her party would not enter into any alliance.
The BSP supremo made the announcement at the state party office, while addressing the media on her birthday. She also denied reports about her retirement from politics after she named her nephew Akash Anand as her successor.
“Going by the party’s past experiences with alliance, BSP has decided to go solo in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” said Mayawati claiming that alliances have never proved beneficial for her party. However, she did not rule out a post-poll alliance possibility.
She further said the party has suffered more losses from alliances in the past. “For this reason, most of the parties in the country want to form an alliance with the BSP. An alliance can be considered after the elections. If possible, the BSP can extend its support after the elections…our party will fight the elections all alone.”
While giving an example from 2007, Mayawati said, “With the backing of people from backward communities — Dalit, Tribal and Muslims — we had formed a full majority government in Uttar Pradesh in 2007, and that’s why we have decided to contest the Lok Sabha polls alone. We will maintain a distance from those who are casteist and believe in communalism. We will work with full strength to help the BSP get a favourable verdict”.
This was, however, the second time, after December 1, 2023, when BSP has made its stance clear that it would go solo in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
BSP was a major political party in Uttar Pradesh, however, it has suffered a major decline over the years. In 2007, the party won 206 seats and formed the government while the number of seats were reduced to just 80 in the 2012 state assembly elections. BSP’s score went further downhill in 2017 with only 19 seats in its kitty, clocking only 22.2% vote share. In the 2022 state assembly polls, the party could secure only one seat, destroying its vote share.
It scored a naught in the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, while in 2019, BSP partnered with SP to form an anti-BJP ‘Maha Gathbandhan’ (Grand Alliance) along with Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). But the alliance failed to yield any result, securing only 15 seats, while BJP won 62 of the 80 seats. Of this, BSP’s vote share was 19.43%, whereas SP and RLD’s vote share was 18.11% and 1.69% respectively.
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