On Thursday, BSP supremo Mayawati held a grand rally at Lucknow's Ramabai Ambedkar Ground, demonstrating her strength. Seeing the abundance of blue flags and the massive crowd of supporters, Mayawati appeared delighted.
Lucknow: While there is still time until the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, political equations have already begun to form and shift. On Thursday, Lucknow was completely adorned with blue flags, and a throng of BSP supporters was visible everywhere. BSP supremo Mayawati looked overjoyed witnessing the huge crowd at Ramabai Ambedkar Ground.
Following this grand rally, various discussions have commenced. In the rally, Mayawati made sharp remarks against the SP and Congress, while adopting a soft stance towards the ruling BJP. Political analysts are connecting this entire development to the upcoming assembly elections, stating that it is now clear that the BSP is functioning as the BJP's 'B team' in UP.
Aggressive on SP, Soft Stance on BJP
At the rally, Mayawati openly criticized the SP and Congress. She attacked these parties, stating that during their rule in UP in previous years, many projects remained incomplete, and public interest issues were ignored. Conversely, her stance towards the BJP appeared soft. Mayawati expressed gratitude to the Yogi Adityanath government for maintaining the parks and monuments built during the BSP's tenure.
Mayawati stated that during the SP government's time, ticket money was collected in the parks but was not utilized. She had written a letter to the Chief Minister requesting that the funds from tickets be used for maintenance. The BJP government took cognizance of this and promised that this amount would now be directly spent on maintenance.
Political Analysts' Opinion
Senior journalist Suresh Bahadur Singh states that Mayawati has always targeted the SP and Congress, while her stance towards the BJP appears balanced and cooperative. He said, 'Mayawati is functioning as the BJP's 'B team' in UP. The way she attacked the SP and Congress is likely to create a rift in opposition unity. The weaker the opposition unity, the more advantage the BJP will gain.'
Suresh Bahadur also added that if the BJP fails to form a full majority government in the upcoming assembly elections, BSP's support might be possible under Mayawati's conditions. In such a scenario, Mayawati would not agree to any proposal below the Chief Minister's post.
SP's Reaction
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) without naming anyone, stating, 'Because 'their' internal collusion continues, they are grateful to the oppressors.' This post is being linked to Mayawati's statement expressing gratitude towards the BJP. The SP is concerned about the political implications of this rally, as weakening opposition unity could lead to losses in the upcoming elections.
- BJP spokesperson Manish Shukla stated that the BJP does not engage in vendetta politics. He explained that the BJP government completed the half-finished works that began during the BSP's tenure. For instance:
- The trial run of Lucknow Metro from Charbagh to Amausi was fully completed.
- The DGP Office (Signature Building), which was 30-40% complete, was finished.
- Incomplete projects like Alambagh Bus Stand and Lucknow-Agra Expressway were completed.
Shukla also added that Akhilesh Yadav could have also expressed gratitude for these works, but for political reasons, he did not.
