Mayawati rallies BSP workers for UP polls

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, in a high-level meeting with party officials and district presidents on Wednesday, issued a clarion call to reinvigorate the party’s grassroots machinery in preparation for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Emphasising the need for unwavering dedication, Mayawati said: “Time is short and the challenges are big.”

Addressing around 300 BSP leaders from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand at the party headquarters in Lucknow, Mayawati asserted that every worker must stay connected to the people — not just during elections, but round the clock. “Those who are not active on the ground will not get a place in the organisation,” she warned during a comprehensive review of the party's organisational preparedness.

Mayawati underlined that the core support base of the BSP — Dalits, backward classes, and tribals — are being misled by both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. “These parties remember the Bahujan Samaj only at election time. Once in power, they are the ones who harm them the most,” she said.

Taking aim at rival political parties, Mayawati criticised the BJP, Congress, and SP for what she described as a “superficial reverence” for Dr BR Ambedkar.

“These parties are competing with each other to celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti, but the reality is that his followers are being persecuted. Atrocities against Dalits continue. They are being murdered, and even the statues of Babasaheb are being desecrated. This double standard exposes the true face of these parties,” she said.

The BSP chief directed party workers to intensify grassroots outreach by going “from village to village, house to house” to expose what she called the “anti-Dalit mentality” of the BJP and Congress.

In a pointed message, Mayawati urged party workers to reflect on the party’s dismal performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and start strengthening every polling booth. “The responsibility doesn’t lie only with district presidents, but with every single party worker,” she said. and added: “The BSP was formed to fight for social justice and the rights of the underprivileged. We must stay focused on that mission.”

Notably absent from the crucial meeting was Mayawati’s nephew Akash Anand, who recently returned to the BSP after a 40-day hiatus following his suspension. Though he had publicly apologised to his aunt and pledged to work in the party’s interest, Akash did not attend Wednesday’s meeting.