Mayawati Declares BSP Will Contest All Elections Alone, Launches Upper-Caste Outreach in UP

She links the go-it-alone plan to past alliances that, she says, moved BSP votes without delivering Brahmin support.

Overview

Marking her 70th birthday in Lucknow, Mayawati announced the BSP will fight the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls and all other elections independently.
She said alliances had harmed the BSP by shifting core Dalit votes to partners while upper-caste votes did not transfer, adding she would consider tie-ups only after clear, sustained changes in vote flows.
Renewing a pitch to Brahmins, she rejected 'bati chokha' tokenism and promised dignity and substantial representation for upper-caste communities under a BSP government.
A press conference at the BSP office was cut short when a ceiling-light short circuit sent sparks and smoke into the hall, prompting security to use extinguishers and clear the venue.
Uttar Pradesh BJP president Pankaj Choudhary described her decision as an internal matter for the BSP and emphasized efforts to take government welfare schemes to the grassroots.