With the political stock of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) at an all-time low and its once-captive Dalit vote base increasingly looking for alternatives, Dalit-centric and Ambedkarite parties across the country are turning their focus to this segment of the electorate ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
While the Chandrashekhar Azad-led Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) has already staked claim to the legacy of Mayawati’s mentor and BSP founder Kanshi Ram, parties such as Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), the Republican Party of India (Athawale), and the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) are also looking to throw their hats into the ring with an eye on the Dalit vote bank.
The enthusiasm among these parties stems from the consistent slide in the BSP’s fortunes over the past few years. In the 2022 Assembly elections as well as the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, the BSP recorded its poorest performance in decades.
The Mayawati-led party won just one seat in the 2022 Assembly elections and saw its vote share decline to 12.88% from 22.23% in 2017, when it had won 19 of the 403 seats. The party’s 2022 vote share is roughly proportional to the population of Jatav-Ravidasi Dalits – seen to be the BSP’s core support base – in the state.
Even this core vote base appeared to erode in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, with the BSP failing to win a single seat and its vote share falling to 9.4% from the 19.43% it had garnered in 2019. The BSP had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Lok Manch (RLM).
Buoyed largely by Azad’s victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from the Nagina seat, the Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram), which had contested 133 seats in the 2022 Assembly elections, is now preparing to contest all 403 seats.
The LJP (RV), which contested alone in 2022, is this time seeking an alliance with the BJP and hopes to secure a sizeable share of seats after its impressive performance in last year’s Bihar Assembly polls, where it won 19 of the 29 seats it contested as part of the NDA.
The Maharashtra-based VBA and RPI (A) have also begun organisational work on the ground in Uttar Pradesh, with the latter hoping for an alliance with the BJP.
Azad’s preparations
However, Azad’s party appears to be ahead of the pack, with an organisational setup in all districts and Assembly constituencies, and mandal- and booth-level committees in place. Party sources said booth committee coverage in rural Uttar Pradesh is already 100%, while in urban areas it has committees in nearly 80% of booths.
The Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) has also begun holding rallies across the state, with recent ones in Agra and Auraiya drawing huge crowds. The next rally is planned in Jaunpur, where the party expects around 50,000 attendees, while two more are scheduled in Barabanki and Lakhimpur Kheri on March 15.
“We are going to the people with the message ‘Raaj Banao, Adhikar Pao’ (seize power and secure your rights). We are preparing our electorate and making them aware so that they are not deceived by others,” Azad told The Indian Express.
Following in Kanshi Ram’s footsteps, the party is focusing on bringing Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) into its fold. It plans to field at least 100 EBC candidates, with sources saying representation to minorities and OBCs will be given in proportion to their population.
The party’s key focus, however, will remain the consolidation of its core Dalit vote base. It plans to field as many as 50 Dalit candidates in general seats.
It has also set up “Bhaichara Sangathans” in all constituencies, comprising 13 different groups from the EBC-OBC spectrum. These include Jats, Gujjars, Yadavs, Lodhs, Pals, Sains, Vishwakarmas, and Sainis, among others. Separate “Bhaichara Sangathans” have also been set up for Muslims.
In addition, the party has constituted various wings such as the Kisan Morcha, Yuva Morcha, Adhivakta
Sangathan, and even an organisation to reach out to retired individuals.
Azad, meanwhile, did not close the door on an alliance with the SP, saying “his party’s doors are open to all those with whom it does not have ideological differences”. “Our focus is on empowering our people socially and politically. Those who want to grab power must see who they should ally with to achieve that. Bihar and Haryana have taught a lesson. Our preparation is for all 403 seats,” he said.
Sources said the party is also exploring an alliance with Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM.
LJP (RV)’s plans
The LJP (RV) too has begun strengthening its organisation and plans to set up units in all constituencies. “We are focusing on consolidating Pasi and Paswan votes – which collectively account for 10% of the population – in our favour. We believe Jatavs and Ravidasis will continue to repose faith in the BSP, while the disenchanted will move towards the Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram),” a senior LJP (RV) leader said.
In the 2022 polls, the LJP (RV) contested alone after failing to secure an alliance with the BJP, but failed to win any of the 120 seats it contested and secured just 0.2% of the vote. “The party was in flux at the time following a split. Since then, we have consolidated our position and demonstrated our strength to the BJP through our performance in Bihar,” the leader said.
RPI (A) fancies its chances
Sources in the RPI (A) said the party was looking to forge an alliance with the BJP for the 2027 polls. In the 2022 elections, the party’s alliance talks with the BJP had failed, following which it did not contest but extended support to the BJP.
“RPI was once very strong in north India. When Chaudhary Charan Singh was UP CM, we had 19 MLAs in the Assembly. When Kanshi Ram launched the All India Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF), we supported him. But our support base dwindled as many of our leaders from Uttar Pradesh left us. Yet, we still have committees in 62 districts of the state. With Mayawati’s popularity going down, there is a political vacuum in the state. The RPI (A), being Babasaheb Ambedkar’s party, is an alternative for the Dalit electorate. I have been telling the people there that you have been voting for Behen(ji), now give a chance to Bhai also,” RPI (A) supremo and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale told The Indian Express.
On how his alliance with the NDA can largely benefit the BJP, Athawale said, “We are pushing for an alliance with the BJP as we can help consolidate the votes which are leaving the BSP but going to the SP and other parties can consolidate in favour of the NDA.”
What VBA is doing
The VBA, which supported the SP in 2022 without contesting the polls, has also begun groundwork. “We are engaging with Ambedkarite forums and student organisations across the state. Whether and how we contest will be decided by the leadership. But we are looking at Uttar Pradesh because the electorate is seeking alternatives. As far as alliances are concerned, talks have not begun with any party yet,” VBA national general secretary Priyadarshi Telang told The Indian Express.