Mayawati plays Brahmin-Muslim card as BSP names 4 candidates for 2027 UP polls

Cornered in Uttar Pradesh politics for a while now, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has set the ball rolling for the state Assembly elections 2027, more than a year before the schedule.

Mayawati, who served as the chief minister four times but not after 2012, made the first strategic strike by choosing Brahmin and Muslim candidates from four constituencies of the state. It was also learned from the party's sources that the chief could declare names for more than 100 seats by March. UP has a 403-member Assembly.

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Giving hints that she could revive her 2007 ‘Brahmin-Dalit’ formula for next year’s battle, the BSP supremo made Ashish Pandey the candidate from Madhogarh, a seat which has traditionally been a BSP stronghold but saw a tug-of-war between the BSP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of late with the latter's Moolchandra Singh winning it in the last two elections — 2017 and 2022.

The other Brahmin face that Mayawati picked is Vinod Mishra at Mungra Badshahpur, a relatively new constituency which is now held by the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Pankaj Patel.

Mayawati eyeing irked Brahmins?

Another reason why the BSP started early to pick the Brahmin faces is the community’s alleged disappointment with the state’s current BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government, something which has pushed the opposition parties to eye the influential voting community.

But it is not the Brahmins only that Mayawati has targeted. She has also picked a few Muslim candidates for the 2027 battle — for Didarganj and Saharanpur Dehat — making it evident that she also wants to tap into the minority votes and revive the old slogan of “Sarv Samaj” (whole society) to take on the other big players in UP politics — the BJP and SP. The latter has, on the other hand, eyed the Dalit votes, threatening the BSP’s traditional vote-bank.

Also read: Why UP’s Brahmins are the eye of 2027 electoral storm

Having failed to deliver either in state or national polls for some time now, the BSP’s falling back on the rainbow coalition strategy is not surprising. The BSP’s game-changing poll slogan of 2007, “Hathi Nehi Ganesh Hain, Brahma, Vishnu Mahesh Hain” (it’s not an elephant, it’s Lord Ganesha, the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh), is likely to resonate once again in rallies ahead of the 2027 polls, underlining the significance of the Brahmin community.

The BSP chief has been holding election strategy meetings for the past several days. In each of those occasions, she has indicated that her party will contest the 2027 elections solely on the strength of a Brahmin-Dalit alliance with the Muslims also emerging as a key constituency.

The leader has also picked the candidates so far from three different but key regions of the state — Purvanchal (eastern UP), Bundelkhand and Western UP — making it amply evident that besides the social engineering, the geographical significance is not being overlooked either.

Two Brahmin, two Muslim candidates

The BSP has appointed Pandey as the in-charge of the Madhogarh seat in Jalaun district in south-western UP, which virtually means he would be the candidate from that seat since the BSP follows the practice of appointing the prospective candidate as the in-charge of Assembly seats.

Madhogarh is a Dalit-majority seat, while the Brahmins come second. Pandey has been with the BSP for a decade and a half and, as a prominent local businessman in the area, has considerable influence in the area.

Abul Qais Azmi, a long-time party loyalist, has been nominated for Didarganj in Azamgarh district. He was picked keeping in view the Muslim-Dalit winning combination in this seat. The SP won this seat in 2022.

In the Saharanpur Dehat Assembly seat, the BSP has finalised Firoz Aftab. This seat is currently held by the SP's Ashu Malik, a close confidante of SP chief and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. Mishra, on the other hand, has been appointed as in-charge for Mungra Badshahpur, a Brahmin-dominated seat in Jaunpur district.

Candidates from 18 seats where BSP finished second in 2022

According to BSP sources, Mayawati will review several constituencies after Holi celebrations next month and, based on the feedback, may announce more than 100 election tickets in the same month.

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According to a party coordinator, she has indicated in meetings that candidates will be announced first for the 18 seats where the party finished second in the 2022 polls. They include, among others: Etmadpur, Agra North, Agra Rural, Anupshahr, Rampur Maniharan, Hathras, Mant, Khair, Govardhan, Jalalpur, Sandila, Lalitpur, Madihan, Pindra, and Jalalpur.

According to political analysts, as part of the social engineering formula, Mayawati may go for a Muslim-Dalit voter formula in western UP and a Dalit-Brahmin formula in those seats in Purvanchal where Brahmin voters dominate. To execute such a plan, Mayawati may rely on prominent Brahmin faces who are disgruntled with the BJP and Muslims who have defected from the SP.

'This is Mayawati's style'

Speaking on Mayawati’s electoral plan, senior journalist Rachna Saran told The Federal, “This has been her style. She first hints at tickets. Her coordinators make the announcement in the area. But as elections approach, tickets are often changed.”

On the question of giving tickets to the Brahmins first, Saran said, “The Brahmins are reportedly unhappy with the Yogi government. In light of this, Mayawati wants to appease the community. Mayawati came to power in the past with an absolute majority through the Dalit-Brahmin alliance. By giving the first ticket to a Brahmin candidate, she has sent a message to Brahmins.”

Also read: In 2027, can Mayawati revive BSP’s 2007 formula in Uttar Pradesh?

This strategy of the BSP president was evident when she made a statement about a meeting of Brahmin MLAs of the BJP. Mayawati said that Brahmins do not need to eat anyone's 'baati chokha' (a type of local food found in eastern UP and adjoining areas) and that they have received the most respect under the BSP government. She also strongly reacted to the upcoming film Ghooskhor Pandat for allegedly hurting the Brahmins' sentiments, giving a clear message to the community that she stands in solidarity with it.

Satish Chandra Mishra in action again

The BSP has also given Satish Chandra Mishra, who had played a key role in orchestrating the party’s thumping victory of 2007, the responsibility for the party’s ‘Brahmin Jodo’ (reach out to Brahmins) campaign.

A party coordinator said that Mishra, a Brahmin, will be especially active in wooing Brahmin votes and will also meet various Brahmin organisations. Mayawati's nephew, Akash Anand, will also meet with potential candidates. Additionally, the Dalit-Muslim Bhaichara Committee (Dalit-Muslim Brotherhood Committee) will be activated in western Uttar Pradesh as part of the social-engineering mission.

(This article was originally published in The Federal Desh.)