In the 2000 assembly elections, the BSP fielded candidates in 294 seats and won five. This was the BSP's biggest victory in the state. In the 2005 elections, the party fielded candidates in 283 seats and won two. In the October 2005 assembly elections, it fielded candidates in 212 seats and won four.
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Mayawati’s party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, has been steadily falling behind in Uttar Pradesh politics. In such a situation, Mayawati has once again increased her political activism. Troubled by the continued erosion of the Dalit vote bank, the BSP president has begun formulating her strategy for the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. The party has announced that it will field candidates in all 243 assembly seats.
This raises questions about whether Mayawati is preparing to re-launch her nephew, Akash Anand, in Bihar’s political arena. At the same time, a crucial question arises: will the BSP, which won just one seat in the UP Assembly elections, be able to attract the Dalit vote bank in Bihar? The BSP has been steadily lagging behind in Uttar Pradesh politics. Mayawati is striving to establish herself as a national-level Dalit leader. In this context, the Bihar elections present a significant opportunity for her.
Party’s Performance in Bihar
The Bahujan Samaj Party entered the Bihar Assembly elections in 1990. At that time, Bihar and Jharkhand were a united state, and the number of Bihar Assembly seats was 324. In the 1990 Assembly elections, the BSP fielded candidates in 164 seats. However, with a vote share of 0.7 percent, the party failed to win any seats. In the 1995 Assembly elections, the BSP contested 161 seats and won two seats with a vote share of 1.34 percent.
In the 2000 Assembly elections, the BSP contested 294 seats and won five seats. This was the BSP’s biggest victory in the state. In the 2005 elections, the party fielded candidates in 283 seats and won two. In the October 2005 assembly elections, it fielded candidates in 212 seats and won four. In the 2010 and 2015 assembly elections, the party received 3.21 and 2.1 percent vote shares, respectively, but failed to win any seats. In the 2020 assembly elections, the party fielded candidates in 80 seats, but managed to win just one seat with a 1.5 percent vote share.
Why the Bihar Elections Are Important
Although the BSP is severely short of options, given that the Bihar assembly elections will be followed by panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh, followed by assembly elections the following year. However, ahead of the 2027 assembly elections, the BSP is attempting to send a strong message to its party workers. Even if the BSP doesn’t win a single seat in the Bihar assembly elections, the party will aim to secure a 3 to 5 percent vote share.
It’s worth noting that the BSP party’s influence has been evident in the border districts of Bihar before. Districts like Buxar and Gopalganj have seen the party’s MLAs elected to the Bihar Assembly several times. Consequently, the BSP appears to be making a significant bet on the Dalit vote bank.
Ananya Mishra
Courtesy: Hindi News