How Mayawati could mar SP’s chances in UP urban local body polls

Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) appears to have chalked out a new plan for the upcoming urban local body polls in Uttar Pradesh, focusing on the Dalit-Muslim vote unlike its past strategy of wooing Brahmins. The party has fielded 11 Muslim candidates for the mayoral seats, the highest among the four major parties—BJP, Samajwadi Party (SP), BSP and Congress.

As part of the three-tier urban local body elections, 17 municipal corporations will go to polls in two phases (May 4 and 11).

In the 2022 assembly polls, the BSP had tried to woo Brahmins but was unsuccessful. The party won only one seat in the polls. Mayawati’s revised strategy could impact the prospects of Akhilesh Yadav’s SP in the urban local body polls.

Many seats, including Meerut, Saharanpur and Moradabad, where the Muslim population is over 30 per cent, now witness triangular fights between the BJP, SP and BSP. In these seats, the BSP could spoil the SP’s chances by cutting into the Muslim vote. On the other hand, these seats do not have a sizeable Yadav population to help the SP.

In its first list, the BSP gave tickets to Muslim candidates in Mathura, Firozabad, Saharanpur, Lucknow, Prayagraj and Moradabad. In the second list, Muslim candidates secured BSP tickets in Meerut, Shahjahanpur, Bareilly, Aligarh and Ghaziabad. Eight of these places are in western UP, where Muslims account for at least a fourth of the population.

The BSP’s move has got SP leaders thinking. “We were miles ahead of the BSP in assembly polls. But in the local body polls, their ticket distribution style could hamper our chances in Muslim-dominated seats such as Moradabad, Saharanpur and Meerut,” says an SP leader, who did not wish to be named. “However, we were aware of these developments as the BSP is playing the role of B-team of the BJP. The bigger challenge for us is to convey to the minorities that they should not waste their votes on the BSP.”

In the 2017 urban local body polls, of the 16 mayoral seats, the BJP had won 14 and the BSP two. Given the BSP’s move, a potentially similar performance stares the SP in the face this time as well. The SP cadre is hopeful of attracting some sections of the upper castes and a big chunk of the OBC votes, but that may not be easy.

Mayawati has decided to stay away from active campaigning for the urban local body polls but has been issuing statements on Twitter. In an appeal to voters, she said that if the people of UP wanted to end their day-to-day difficulties, insecurity and exploitation, they would need to look beyond the lucrative promises made by the BJP government in the state. She promised that the BSP will end corruption in the urban local bodies and work for the welfare of all.

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