Battle for dalit vote bank intensifies in UP as Chandrashekhar Azad throws down the gauntlet to Mayawati

BSP faces a substantial challenge from the relatively new Azad Samaj Party led by Chandrashekhar (L)

A fierce competition for the Dalit vote bank is emerging in Uttar Pradesh as Chandrashekhar Azad, president of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) and newly elected Member of Parliament from Nagina, asserts himself as the leading voice for the marginalized sections of society. Azad has announced his intention to contest the by-elections for 10 assembly seats in the state.

This development has sparked a significant question in political circles: Has Chandrashekhar Azad emerged as the new Dalit icon, challenging the longstanding influence of Mayawati?

For over four decades, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has been the primary representative of underprivileged communities. Now, it faces a substantial challenge from the relatively new Azad Samaj Party. In response, BSP supremo Mayawati has reinstated her nephew, Akash Anand, as her successor and the party’s national coordinator. This move comes after a sustained campaign by BSP supporters on social media urging Mayawati to reappoint Anand to a prominent position within the party.

Akash Anand, who was removed from his position as national coordinator and heir apparent on May 7, 2024, during the peak of the Lok Sabha campaign, has been reappointed in the wake of the BSP's dismal performance in the recent elections. The party secured only 9.39% of the vote—the lowest in three decades—and failed to win a single seat.

In a statement following a meeting of national office-bearers on June 23, the BSP announced, "The BSP president Mayawati Ji has once again given Akash Anand a chance to work in the party with full maturity. He will continue to hold all his posts in the party as before. That is, he will remain Mayawati’s only successor along with being the party’s national coordinator."

Akash Anand, 28, is now positioned as the future face of the BSP amidst the growing influence of Chandrashekhar Azad, who has made significant inroads among young Dalit voters. Azad's victory in the Nagina constituency, a reserved seat in western Uttar Pradesh with a substantial Dalit electorate, underscores his rising popularity. He defeated BJP candidate Om Kumar by over 150,000 votes, while BSP candidate Surendra Pal Singh garnered only 13,272 votes despite a focused campaign.

The Nagina Lok Sabha seat encompasses five Assembly segments in Bijnor district, a region with historical significance for the BSP. Mayawati herself made her parliamentary debut from Bijnor in 1989.

The BSP, once a dominant force in Uttar Pradesh politics, formed the state government with a simple majority in 2007 by winning 206 out of 403 seats in the assembly. However, the party's influence has waned over the last decade. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the BSP secured 27.42% of the vote and won 20 seats. By 2024, its vote share had plummeted to 9.39%, with more than 70 of its 80 candidates losing their deposits.

As the by-elections approach, the contest between Chandrashekhar Azad's Azad Samaj Party and Mayawati's BSP will be closely watched, with both parties vying for the crucial Dalit vote bank in Uttar Pradesh.