Mayawati plans comeback in UP with massive rally on Kanshiram’s death anniversary

Lucknow: Reduced almost to a fringe player in Uttar Pradesh politics, BSP supremo Mayawati on Sunday hinted at undertaking significant moves to revive the party ahead of the forthcoming panchayat polls and the next assembly elections due in two years.

Mayawati, who presided over a state level meeting of the party office bearers here on Sunday, decided to organise a huge public meeting on the occasion of BSP founder Kanshiram’s death anniversary on October 9 as a show of strength.

Besides, the BSP would also embark upon a ‘ghar wapsi’ campaign during which the party would try to bring back its old and loyal leaders, who had deserted the party in the past few years.

The BSP supremo has also decided to focus on strengthening the party organisation at the grass root level.

‘’The leaders have been given a target of bringing five lakh people to the state capital on October 9…..it’s going to be a huge rally,’’ said a state BSP leader, who attended Sunday’s meeting.

‘’The rally is intended to boost the sagging morale of the party workers as well as convey the message to the rivals that BSP is still a force to reckon with in UP,’’ he added.

In an apparent indication of a shift in her rigid stand, Mayawati hinted at welcoming back the old leaders, who had deserted her party in the past few years. ‘’The return of Siddharth Ashok, the father-in-law of Mayawati’s nephew Akash Anand is an indication in this regard,’’ the leader said.

BSP sources said that senior party leaders had been entrusted with the task of persuading the former leaders to return to the party fold.

BSP has been struggling to stay politically relevant in the state after losing power in 2012 assembly polls. Its strength in the state assembly has been declining ever since. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BSP failed to open its account in UP while in the 2022 assembly polls it could win only one seat.