Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has called a meeting of party office-bearers to analyze the reasons behind the party's poor performance in the urban bodies elections in Uttar Pradesh. With the parliamentary elections approaching in a year, this defeat comes as a major setback for Mayawati.
Expulsion of Senior Party Functionary Ahead of Meeting
Prior to the meeting, Mayawati expelled Prashant Gautam, a senior party functionary, who was the zonal coordinator of Meerut. The party performed poorly in Meerut, where its mayoral candidate came fourth, compared to winning the seat in the previous election. Mayawati held Gautam responsible for the debacle, citing his choice of a weak candidate for the election.
Mayawati Disappointed with Urban Local Body Performance
Mayawati is reportedly upset with the party's performance in the urban local body elections as the party failed to win any mayoral seat in the 17 municipal corporations. In the 2017 elections, the party had won two mayor seats and secured the second position in seven. This time, the BSP not just failed to win any seat, it also secured the second position in three seats. The party's performance in municipal councils and town area committees has also significantly declined. Despite strategically fielding candidates from the minority community, the BSP performed poorly in seats dominated by minority voters.
Reviewing Strategy for the Upcoming Parliament Elections
During the review meeting, Mayawati will also determine the party's strategy for the upcoming parliamentary elections. The BSP has already declared that it will not form alliances with any other party. In the 2019 parliamentary elections, the BSP had formed an alliance with the Samajwadi Party, winning 10 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. However, in the 2022 assembly elections, the BSP contested alone and won only one seat out of 403.
Allegations of State Machinery Interference in Urban Body Polls
On Wednesday, Mayawati tweeted blaming the state machinery for her party's defeat in the urban body polls. She accused the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh of using the state machinery to suppress the impact of its anti-people and oppressive policies. Undeterred by the results, Mayawati stated that her party would soon start working for the 2024 general elections and that the meeting on Thursday would outline the strategy for it.
