The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is set for a display of strength on Thursday on Kanshi Ram’s parinirvan diwas, even as the Samajwadi Party (SP) has announced its own plans to mark the day, as both parties battle it out to capture the Dalit and backward vote.
The BSP has claimed that more than five lakh people will throng the capital on Thursday for the rally as the party considers this a statement of its unwillingness to fade out even after repeated poll debacles.
Once considered the sole party that catered to Dalit interests, the BSP has been steadily losing ground since 2017. In the state, that is a space that the Samajwadi Party and caste-based outfits are seeking to capture. In the wider political arena, the Congress is projecting its commitment to the community.
Mayawati, though, is calling out all these contenders. She has asserted that the movement for self-respect and dignity of Dalits, adivasis, and the backward Bahujans, started by Bhim Rao Ambedkar, was kept alive and given momentum by Kanshi Ram, who founded the BSP. “Opposing parties, especially the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, have always displayed casteist and malicious attitudes towards him. And now to celebrate him is nothing more than ‘blatant deception,” she said, while not mentioning the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in her tirade.
#WATCH | Lucknow, UP: On the death anniversary of party Founder Kanshi Ram, BSP chief Mayawati says, "We are grateful to the present government because unlike the Samajwadi Party government, the money collected from the people visiting this place has not been suppressed by the… pic.twitter.com/ZeWBYlL3YL
— ANI (@ANI) October 9, 2025
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: BSP Chief Mayawati says, "I want to ask Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav this: If you truly had so much respect and reverence for the esteemed Shri Kanshi Ram Ji, then when my government was in power in UP, we created a separate district in the Aligarh… pic.twitter.com/vyfg9WWRrt
— IANS (@ians_india) October 9, 2025
As evidence of the Samajwadi Party’s ‘casteist’ mentality, she cited how the party changed the name of the district her government had christened Kanshiram Nagar to Kasganj. The colleges, universities, and hospitals that bore his name were also renamed. “The Samajawadi Party government did not even declare a day of mourning on his passing away. Neither did the Congress, which was in power in the centre then,” she said. This, Mayawati added, is a reflection of the parties’ ‘anti-Dalit character’. She has called upon people to remain vigilant and cautious towards parties that have displayed such ‘narrow-minded’ thinking.
For the Samajwadi Party, this is an occasion to intensify its Dalit outreach. Past elections have taught it that it has to go beyond its traditional Yadav-Muslim vote base to grab power. The party is pressing ahead with this. The most powerful example being the setting up of its own Dalit-focused wing named the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Vahini. This wing is visibly reaching out to the community in cases of attacks. Its larger goal is to push for greater dialogue on issues of Dalit justice, reservation, and constitutional rights. It organises seminars centered around Ambedkarite thought and felicitation events for Dalit icons. It also marks days such as Valmiki Jayanti.
And here is where Mayawati’s selective criticism comes into play.
This year, the state government announced a holiday on Valmiki Jayanti. Mayawati did not question why the BJP had not thought of it earlier.
The Samajwadi Party is also pushing similarities between the ideologies of Ram Manohar Lohia and Dalit icons. This shared symbolism is designed to send the message that the party is as serious about Dalit issues as it is about those of the Other Backward Castes (OBC). Another message draws from political history- the formation of the Samyukt Socialist Party, in which Lohia had called together for a tying together of the interests of the Dalits and the most backwards.
Akhilesh Yadav is reframing this narrative to broaden his party’s vote bank. He is taking note of and making statements on Dalit atrocities within the state. Party delegations are also being sent to all such places.
But today, Mayawati will seek to demonstrate that she is not a spent force and that the interests of Dalits are safest with her. That a dedicated cadre will never desert her. It will thus be of great interest to see what she says today. It is not just about a day or a rally, but a possible indication of what the party is doing for the 2027 Assembly polls. |
