A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious in three out of four States and her party won only two seats overall, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on December 4 said the “one-sided verdict” in the Assembly polls was “strange” and a matter of concern.
“It is natural for all the people to be surprised, doubtful and worried with the verdict of the Vidhan Sabha elections in the four States being one-sided. Considering the entire atmosphere of the elections, such a strange result is a matter of concern for the people and very difficult to accept,” she posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“The atmosphere during the entire election was of a neck-to-neck contest. However, the outcome was in complete contrast... A terrible ‘mistake’ in sensing people’s mood is a new topic of discussion,” added the former four-time Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.
Reduced heft
The results further reduced the heft of the BSP, a Dalit-centric party, in the political chessboard of U.P. and nationally as it failed to arrest its downslide. The party failed to win any seats in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana and bagged just two seats in Rajasthan, contrary to the repeated claims by Ms. Mayawati that her party would emerge as an alternative to the BJP and Congress in these poll-bound States. The BSP won six seats in Rajasthan, and two each in Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh in the 2018 Assembly polls.
Asking party workers not to get disheartened by the results, the BSP chief has convened a meeting of party leaders in Lucknow on December 10.
“Workers of the BSP fought this election with full strength. We must not be disappointed by such a result and keep trying to move forward by taking inspiration from the life and struggles of Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. On December 10, an all-India level meeting of the party is convened in Lucknow to discuss State Assembly results and the future road map for the 2024 [Lok Sabha] polls,” said Ms. Mayawati.
