Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has once again intensified efforts to woo the Muslim vote bank. In a meeting of the Dalit-Muslim Brotherhood Committee held in Lucknow on October 29, she appealed to party workers to visit Muslim communities and propagate the party's policies.
Lucknow: Signs of a major political alignment are once again emerging in Uttar Pradesh politics. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati has accelerated her campaign to win the trust of Muslims. In a meeting of the Dalit-Muslim Brotherhood Committee held in Lucknow, she urged party workers to engage with the Muslim community and assure them that “their future is secure only under BSP rule.”
Mayawati's efforts come at a time when the united support of Muslims and Dalits provided significant political strength to the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The question now is whether Mayawati can once again forge a Dalit-Muslim alliance akin to 2007, when the BSP secured a majority on its own?
Decisive Role of Muslims in UP
Muslims constitute approximately 19.26 percent of Uttar Pradesh's population. Especially in districts like Western UP, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Meerut, Amroha, and Bijnor, Muslim voters determine the power dynamics. The combined participation of Dalits and Muslims in these areas can prove decisive for any political party.
Political analysts believe that if Mayawati succeeds in bringing the Muslim community to her side, it could significantly impact the vote banks of both the SP and Congress.
Mayawati's New Message: 'Government Without Bulldozers'
At the Lucknow meeting, Mayawati stated that “law and order” were maintained during BSP rule and crime was controlled “without using bulldozers.” She promised that if she comes to power, there would be no discrimination against any community, nor any political vendetta. Faizan Khan, BSP's Lucknow divisional in-charge, said —
'Mayawati's rule was the most balanced in UP's history. She did not discriminate against any religion or caste. Today's governments are hiding their failures under the pretext of bulldozers.'
She accused both the SP and BJP of promoting communal polarization when in power, while the BSP practices politics of “equality and social justice.”
Congress Responds — We Are the Most Vocal Against Atrocities
The Congress questioned Mayawati's campaign, calling itself the “true voice” of Muslims and Dalits. Uttar Pradesh Congress Vice President Vishwa Vijay Singh said, "Be it CAA-NRC or any other issue, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi took to the streets to protest it. Congress is the party that has always fought for the rights of the poor, Dalits, and Muslims."
According to him, Muslims and Dalits now understand the Congress ideology, and there is little chance of them returning to the BSP or SP. The Samajwadi Party accused Mayawati of indirectly helping the BJP. Party spokesperson Mohammad Azam Khan said, "Whenever Mayawati speaks, the BJP benefits. She is misleading Muslims. Whenever atrocities were committed against Muslims, Mayawati remained silent.”
Azam Khan stated that today's Muslims desire politics of “progress and education.” He claimed that under Akhilesh Yadav's leadership, the SP government had socially and economically empowered Muslims, and in the 2027 assembly elections, the SP would once again pose a b challenge to the BJP.
