2027 UP polls: BSP to re-implement its 'brotherhood' experiment to connect with OBCs

Lucknow: Worried over its declining support base, the BSP has started working on a plan to re-implement its successful 'brotherhood committee' experiment of connecting with OBCs ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

The brotherhood or 'bhaichara' committees, an experiment which was first started before the 2007 polls, will be formed in 403 assemblies of the state and connect with 100 people belonging to other backward castes (OBCs). These 100 people will then act as ambassadors of the party at the booth level.

Through these OBC brotherhood committees, the party wants to connect its scattered rural vote bank with the blue flag and elephant symbol in every village and also find a counter to the Samajwadi Party's PDA pitch.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) state president Vishwanath Pal told PTI in an interview, "The BSP has formed OBC brotherhood committees in all the districts of the state. Two organisational conveners have been appointed in each district. District presidents and in-charges have been appointed." He says that among these district presidents and in-charges, one is from the Dalit community and the other from OBC. These officials are now forming OBC brotherhood committees in all the 403 assembly constituencies of the state.

"These officials are going among the people from village to village and have started the work of spreading the policies of the BSP in rural areas. So that the people of OBC society and other poor and minority society can also join this brotherhood committee and in the upcoming 2027 UP assembly elections, the BSP can again attain power like in 2007," he said.

He said the assembly in-charge will form a group of 100 people belonging to OBCs in every village and will make them trained workers by giving them information about the programs and policies of the party.

The trained workers will also be made active members of the party.

The BSP state president said during the party's campaign, people in every village are being made aware about the "anti-Dalit" tactics of the Congress, BJP and SP as well as the constant "deceit" being done by them.

Asked if it is inspired by the Samajwadi Party's PDA formula, Pal retorted, "The SP is fooling the OBC community in the name of PDA. SP's PDA means 'Family Development Authority'".

PDA is an acronym given by the SP for Pichde Dali Alpsankhyak (backwards, dalits and minorities).

"Yadav community has the largest share in OBCs but the SP did not give party ticket to any person of Yadav community except family members in the Lok Sabha elections. Yadav community votes for the Samajwadi Party in bulk but when it comes to tickets, the SP chief only sees wife, brother and nephews," he charged.

Voicing optimism that OBC brotherhood committees will work hard once again and be successful in bringing the BSP back to power in Uttar Pradesh, Pal says that in 2007, Mayawati had formed a brotherhood committee of all classes after which in 2007, the BSP formed government with a huge majority. The party had managed to win 206 out of 403 assembly seats.

The BSP state president said following the instructions given by party chief Mayawati last month, workers are going to each assembly constituency of the state and giving detailed information about the work done during the BSP rule to the Dalit community as well as other backward classes and minorities.

"Once again history will be repeated and in 2027, Mayawati will once again become the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for the fifth time. From 2007 to 2012, the people of the state saw a BSP government which did justice to everyone. Then from 2012 to 2017, we saw the hooliganism of Samajwadi Party and now from 2017 till now, the public is seeing a communal government in the state,'' he said.

At present, the party has only one member in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, while in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, not a single candidate of the party could reach Parliament.

Perhaps that is why political experts believe the BSP, which is going through the worst phase since its inception, is being very cautious this time for the 2027 elections and is re-implementing the successful "bhaichara" experiment.

Dalit thinker and Professor of Hindi Department of Lucknow University, Ravikant says, "If the BSP chief keeps these OBC brotherhood committees limited to other backward classes and Dalits, then it will definitely get success." However, if the upper class Brahmins and Thakurs are also included in these committees, then BSP may have to stay away from power once again because this class takes advantage of the BSP but gives its vote only to the BJP, he said.

Political experts also believe that this will be possible only when BSP emerges as a strong alternative in the 2027 elections.

BSP supremo Mayawati had said in a state-level special meeting of the BSP's Other Backward Classes last month that people from Bahujan Samaj are deprived of the constitutional benefits of reservation in the same way as reservation for Dalits has been made almost ineffective by binding them in various new rules and laws.

She had instructed party workers that a new vigorous campaign should be started to further strengthen the resolve to get the master key of power by organising all the parts of 'Bahujan Samaj' on the basis of mutual brotherhood and by creating political power.

Mayawati had said people should be made aware in every village about the "anti-Dalit" and "anti-OBC tactics" of the Congress, BJP and SP.