In a significant political move ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati has revived the party's social alliance committees focusing on Dalits, Muslims and Other Backward Classes, while notably keeping the Brahmin outreach panel suspended.
Strategic Revival of Social Engineering
The BSP, which suffered a massive setback in the 2022 Assembly polls by winning only one seat, is attempting to rebuild its traditional voter base through this calculated decision. The party has restored both the Muslim Samaj Bhaichara Sangathan and the OBC Bhaichara committee, each with two coordinators - one from the respective community and another from the Dalit community.
This revival comes after the party had suspended all committees following its disastrous performance in the 2022 elections. The timing suggests the BSP is beginning its groundwork early for the crucial 2027 state polls.
Why No Brahmin Committee?
When questioned about the absence of the Brahmin Bhaichara committee, senior BSP functionaries provided revealing insights into the party's current strategy. Mayawati believes that upper castes in Uttar Pradesh are already politically aware and therefore don't require a separate organization to connect with the party.
One senior leader elaborated that the party's immediate priority is to reunite Dalits and connect them with OBCs and Muslims. The leadership operates on the premise that upper castes will naturally gravitate toward the BSP once they see the party regaining strength through the consolidation of its core voter base.
Historical Performance Analysis
The data from previous Assembly elections reveals why the BSP might be cautious about its Brahmin outreach. During the party's historic 2007 victory, when it won 206 seats - its best performance ever - the social engineering formula combining Dalits, Muslims, OBCs and upper castes worked perfectly. Twenty out of 51 Brahmin candidates fielded by the BSP won their Assembly seats that year.
However, the support dwindled significantly in subsequent elections. In 2012, when Mayawati lost to the Samajwadi Party, only seven of 51 Brahmin candidates emerged victorious. The 2017 polls saw further decline with just four wins out of 52 Brahmin candidates fielded by the party.
The party had made concerted efforts to woo Brahmins between July and August 2021, organizing special meetings where leaders argued that combining 13% Brahmin votes with 23% Dalit votes would give the party 36% vote share - sufficient to form government in Uttar Pradesh, where any party crossing 30% vote share typically wins.
However, the 2022 election results proved disastrous, with the party reduced to a single seat won by a Thakur community candidate, leading to the suspension of all committees until now.
Current Outreach Strategy
Despite the absence of a formal Brahmin committee, the party hasn't completely abandoned upper caste outreach. During the October 9 mega rally in Lucknow marking the 19th death anniversary of party founder Kanshi Ram, Mayawati announced that national general secretary S C Misra would lead outreach to Brahmins, while MLA Uma Shankar Singh would handle Thakur community coordination.
However, party sources indicate that no structured program to reach out to Brahmins and Thakurs has actually begun yet. Singh is currently abroad and unavailable for comment, while Misra hasn't responded to queries about the Brahmin outreach program.
The BSP's current strategy appears to be a back-to-basics approach, focusing first on consolidating its traditional Dalit base and building alliances with other marginalized communities before attempting to attract upper caste voters who might be dissatisfied with the BJP.
