Punjab assembly elections 2022: In alliance after 20 years, BSP faces do-or-die test

JALANDHAR: When Bahujan Samaj Party appears to be fighting a tough battle in Uttar Pradesh as the Samajwadi Party-led alliance is emerging as the main opposition to Bharatiya Janata Party there, the poll battle in Punjab is extremely crucial for the party too, as it has entered into an alliance after 23 years in the state.
After winning its last assembly seat in 1997, BSP failed to taste any electoral victory in the state during the last few elections, even as there was a strong sentiment amongst BSP cadres and supporters that the party should have an alliance for success.

However, party supremo Mayawati would each time decide to go solo in the state where the party was formed. BSP cadres understood the electoral arithmetic, especially when the party was unable to grow beyond one caste — Ad-dharmi/Ravidasia in Punjab. The BSP once had the most committed and loyal cadre base in the state.
Successive defeats would disappoint cadres, but they had the hope in their party’s potential which could have tilted the balance in case of an alliance. This is precisely the reason that electoral success is important to the party now when unexplored potential has been put to test after a pre-poll alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal. This time, there would be little room to take shelter behind the old argument of “but for an alliance”.
After having tasted electoral success in alliances with Simranjit Singh Mann-led Akali Dal in 1989 and then Parkash Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal in 1996 parliamentary elections, BSP’s alliance with Congress in 1998 parliamentary elections failed to work as the Grand Old Party was quite unpopular at that time. While BSP bagged just one seat in 1989, it won all the three it contested in 1996.
However, a lot has changed in the last 25 years, when it had an alliance with SAD (Badal). In 1989 and 1996, Sikhs had voted in large numbers for the SAD factions led by Mann and Badal, respectively, as they were angry with Congress. However, this time, the Badal-led Akali Dal is facing its own challenges,
The party has to recover the base it lost in its core constituency — the Sikhs — during the 2012-17 term.
BSP is also not the same anymore. Till 2002 assembly elections, the party was being anchored by founder Kanshi Ram himself, who had charisma and political knack and the party cadres were fresh and full of energy, dedication, and dreams. However, after the party did not forge any alliances and its vote share kept on plummeting in the subsequent elections, it is struggling hard to recover its base.
Apart from the feeling among party cadres that they were not given a few of their best seats, what has impacted BSP adversely this time, is that Congress threw a spanner by appointing Charanjit Singh Channi as the chief minister, who comes from same caste background in which BSP has its core base. Though Kanshi Ram envisioned BSP as a party of Bahujans, and not just of Scheduled Castes, in Punjab it ended up becoming the party of Ad-dharmi/Ravidassia caste only. That also explains why the party could get stronger in those parts of the Doaba region where there was a strong Ad-dharmi population. That is also the reason why Channi’s elevation will go against BSP. When Kanshi Ram launched BSP, he took out a chunk of Congress’ support and for once weakened it in UP and Punjab. Now with Channi as the first SC Sikh CM, Congress is trying to get that share back.
For BSP, it’s time to perform or perish.