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Mayawati on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the Muslim Bhai-chara Committee, attended by over 450 leaders from all 75 districts.
BSP supremo Mayawati chairs a meeting. (Image: X/Mayawati)
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has swung into full political gear for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, with party supremo Mayawati personally leading an intensive outreach to the Muslim community — a key voter bloc she believes can help recreate the winning social engineering formula that swept her to power in 2007.
In a first-of-its-kind move, Mayawati on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the Muslim Bhai-chara Committee, attended by over 450 leaders from all 75 districts. The gathering, held at the party’s Lucknow headquarters, marked a visible shift in strategy — symbolised by the seating arrangement itself. For the first time, Muslim leaders were placed in the front two rows, while senior BSP functionaries occupied the seats behind them.
“This is a message that in the BSP, the Muslim community will be given respect, representation, and real participation — not just promises,” a senior leader present at the meeting said.
Dalit–Muslim Equation: The Winning Formula
Mayawati made it clear that the BSP’s comeback roadmap hinges on consolidating Dalit and Muslim votes, together accounting for nearly 39 per cent of Uttar Pradesh’s electorate. “The SP’s base among Yadavs is just 8 per cent. Even with full Muslim support, they only reach 27 per cent. In 2022, this combination could not stop the BJP. In contrast, in 2007, the BSP came to power by gaining only partial Muslim support,” she reportedly told the gathering.
According to party insiders, Mayawati believes that the Dalit–Muslim unity, built on mutual respect rather than fear, remains the most potent combination against the BJP’s Hindutva consolidation and the SP’s Yadav-centric politics.
Reviving the Muslim Bhai-chara Committee
The Muslim Bhai-chara Committee, which had gone dormant after 2017, has been revived with a fresh structure. Each of the state’s 18 divisions now has two conveners — one Dalit and one Muslim — and a similar pattern will be replicated at the Assembly and booth levels. Every Assembly constituency has been tasked with identifying and inducting at least 100 prominent Muslim faces into the BSP fold.
“We are focusing on direct engagement through small, local meetings. The goal is to rebuild trust,” said Anand Singh Chandresh, the BSP’s Meerut Mandal in-charge.
Party workers were handed yellow folders listing 100 key decisions and welfare works carried out for Muslims during Mayawati’s previous tenures as Chief Minister. “Take this list to Muslim neighbourhoods,” she instructed. “Tell them that BSP, not SP or Congress, worked for their safety, dignity, and development.”
‘SP Uses Fear, BSP Offers Participation’
In a strong indictment of the Samajwadi Party, Mayawati alleged that the SP continues to exploit the “fear of BJP” to secure Muslim votes but has never ensured genuine empowerment. “They have given Muslims no fair share in government or organization. The BSP, on the other hand, provided both representation and peace. There was not a single communal riot under our rule,” she said.
Party spokesperson and Lucknow region Muslim Bhai-chara convener Faizan Khan said, “BSP has always considered Muslims an integral part of its movement. SP and Congress misled them. But the ground is changing — Muslims are realising that only BSP can challenge BJP effectively.”
No Protest Against Voter Revision, Focus on Booth-Level Work
Mayawati also addressed the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list ordered by the Election Commission, directing her cadres to stay focused on groundwork instead of protests. “Other parties may oppose it, but we must not get distracted. Form booth-level teams and ensure every BSP supporter is registered as a voter,” she said. Each office-bearer was given an SIR handbook with detailed instructions.
Crackdown on Indiscipline and Warnings Against Betrayal
Without naming him directly at first, Mayawati referred to the expulsion of party leader Shamsuddin Rain, clarifying that he had been repeatedly warned before being removed. “He worked to weaken BSP candidates and encouraged factionalism. We will not tolerate such behaviour. Anyone indulging in sabotage will be dealt with strictly,” she declared.
The Return of Akash Anand
The meeting also saw the participation of Mayawati’s nephew and party national coordinator Akash Anand, who was called back from Bihar’s election campaign to attend the session. Akash, who touched his aunt’s feet on stage, will be fully active in Uttar Pradesh after the Bihar polls. “He will oversee booth-level progress and district meetings. I will also visit where needed,” Mayawati announced.
Four Mega Events in a Month
This was Mayawati’s fourth major engagement in October alone — after a massive rally on October 9 in Lucknow and two high-level strategy meetings on October 16 and 19. The string of events underlines her intent to re-energise the BSP machinery at a time when the political narrative in Uttar Pradesh is largely bipolar between the BJP and SP.
Grassroots Sentiment
The meeting ended with chants of “Behenji zindabad” as workers expressed optimism over the party’s revival. “People have seen every government since Mayawati’s tenure. None matched her governance. This time she will be CM again — and one day PM,” said a BSP supporter from Jalaun.
With renewed organisational zeal, symbolic inclusivity, and an emphasis on Dalit–Muslim unity, the BSP’s revival plan for 2027 appears firmly underway. Whether Mayawati can translate this outreach into electoral gains remains to be seen, but her message is unmistakable: the BSP is back in the field — and this time, she’s leading from the front.
October 30, 2025, 14:17 IST
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