Mayawati re-elected BSP president

Mayawati was unanimously re-elected as the national president of the BSP on Tuesday and said that despite electoral reverses, the BSP is not disappointed, according to a party statement.The decision was taken during a special meeting of the BSP Central Executive Committee (CEC) and senior office bearers at the national-level and state party units, and representatives from all over the country in Lucknow, it said. Mayawati, 68, is a four-time former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. BSP founder Kanshi Ram had declared her as his political successor more than two decades ago. She was elected the party president for the first time in 2003, a post that has remained with her ever since.

1. मुझे (कु. मायावती जी को) आज एक बार फिर सर्वसम्मति से बहुजन समाज पार्टी (बीएसपी) का राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष चुने जाने पर सभी लोगों का हार्दिक आभार तथा इसके लिए मुझे देश के कोने-कोने से बधाई देने वाले सभी लोगों का भी मैं दिल से शुक्रिया अदा करती हूँ।

— Mayawati (@Mayawati) August 27, 2024

Kanshi Ram, who founded the BSP with the aim of empowering Dalits and marginalised communities, declared Mayawati as his political successor over two decades ago, a mantle she has carried with mixed results. She took over as the chief of the party for the first time on 18 September 2003. Since then she has been the president of the party. Despite having tractions among Dalits, Mayawati’s influence has waned in recent years. In 2024 general elections Mayawati failed to win a single seat. The defeat, according to UP watcher, underscores the decline in BSP’s support, even among its core Jatav base. Jatav votes shifted towards INDIA alliance in 2024 Lok Sabha polls, poll data revealed. The party's performance in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections also mirrored this downward trend. Out of 403 assembly seats, the BSP managed to win only one in 2022 assembly polls.