Two months after holding a major rally in Lucknow that stirred political activity across Uttar Pradesh, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is now focusing on specific regions and voter groups where it hopes to regain lost ground. The party is planning to begin its Muslim Dalit outreach in western UP, with a public meeting likely to be held in Noida on December 6. Party sources said BSP chief Mayawati will attend the event as the main speaker.
Senior party leaders visited the Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal in Noida on Wednesday to review preparations. While officials avoided sharing details, they confirmed that planning for the event is underway. According to insiders, the gathering is designed to reconnect with Dalit and Muslim voters, two communities that have historically formed a crucial support base for the BSP.
Party workers and supporters from eight divisions of western Uttar Pradesh are expected to attend. Mayawati is likely to give them directions on how to win back voters the BSP lost after 2012, when its political decline in the state began. The Dalit and Muslim bhaichara (brotherhood) committees, formed to strengthen ties between the two communities, are expected to play a key role in this campaign.
Western UP has long been significant for the BSP because it has a strong presence of Jatav Dalits, the party’s core supporters, and a large Muslim population. The success of the BSP SP alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections also reflected this. Out of the 10 seats BSP won in that election, four were in western UP, including Nagina, Saharanpur, Amroha, and Bijnor, all constituencies with a strong Muslim Dalit voter mix.
The date of the upcoming event, December 6, marks the death anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, which the BSP observes nationwide as one of its three key annual events. The other two are Ambedkar’s birth anniversary on April 14 and the death anniversary of BSP founder Kanshiram on October 9.
Starting from December 6, the party is expected to hold a series of public meetings in different parts of Uttar Pradesh to assess its electoral prospects and strengthen its grassroots network.
