State of play
One does not require a keen political eye to detect the disingenuity, lethargy and arrogance behind Mayawati’s assessment of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)’s humiliating defeat in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The party lost almost 10% of its vote share from 2017 and was reduced to one seat. This means it failed to attract voters across caste and religion.
The upsurge of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s majoritarian narrative notwithstanding, the BSP’s consistent decline can be attributed primarily to Ms. Mayawati’s own failures. This includes her dilution of the Bahujan narrative, poorly strategised appeasement of the minority ‘upper castes’, authoritative style, and mismanagement of organisation.
