Mayawati Calls BSP Meeting on UP Bypolls and Bhim Army’s Ravidas Temple Protest
Bahujan Samaj Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati has called an important party meeting in Lucknow on August 28. According to senior sources, the agenda will be the coming by-elections for 12 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh and the Bhim Army’s agitation over the demolition of the Ravidas Temple in Delhi.
The Bhim Army protest
The Bhim Army’s protest against the demolition in Delhi’s Tughlakabad area drew strong support from the Dalit community, with people from neighbouring states travelling to Delhi to join it. Its chief, Chandrashekhar Azad, who led the protest, was later detained by Delhi Police when he tried to reach the demolition site.
Mayawati kept her distance from the protest after it turned violent and asked BSP workers not to take the law into their own hands. In a tweet, she said the BSP had nothing to do with the violence in Tughlakabad and that the party’s protests always stayed within the law.
Concern over the Bhim Army
BSP sources said the attention and support the Bhim Army gained from the protest had worried the party, which now wants to send a message to its followers and work out a strategy to counter the outfit’s appeal among young Dalits. Senior leaders are said to fear it could affect the party’s chances in the 2022 assembly election.
Mayawati has attacked the Bhim Army before, accusing it of being the BJP’s “B team” and of confusing Dalit voters during the recent Lok Sabha election. She has also asked it to merge with the BSP if it truly wants to work for Dalits. Azad, for his part, has accused Mayawati of dynasty politics, saying this would not have happened had BSP founder Kanshiram been alive.
Bypoll preparations
The meeting will also review preparations for the bypolls to the 12 seats, and candidates may be finalised. Contesting will mark a departure for the BSP, which has long followed a policy of staying out of bypolls.
What happened next
In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly election, the BJP won 255 seats, the Samajwadi Party 111 and the BSP 1. Yogi Adityanath remained Chief Minister.
See also: Bahujan Samaj Party, Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha members.
Originally published on 27 August 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.
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