Mayawati's Brahmin Bet: Bid To Revive 2007 Coalition In 2027 UP Polls

"Haathi Nahi Ganesh Hai... Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh Hai..."

Bahujan Samaj Party's slogan in 2007 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections redefined state's social engineering and Mayawati's political fortunes. It turned BSP from an anti-Brahmin and Dalit-centric party into an umbrella coalition of all caste groups. Mayawati rode to power on the back of a Brahmin-Dalit alliance.

Can 2007 replay itself 20 years later in 2027?

BSP supremo Mayawati, who has seen her political stock nosedive in successive elections, seems keen on reviving her 2007 winning formula.

In a big outreach to the Brahmin community, Mayawati has given a prime role related to elections to her confidante and the party's Brahmin face, Satish Chandra Mishra.

BSP national general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra will now also lead the BSP's legal and media teams, apart from handling Election Commission-related matters, Mayawati announced on Wednesday.

"Satish Chandra Mishra, who has been the national general secretary of the Bahujan Samaj Party for a considerable length of time, has now been entrusted by the party with important responsibilities related to legal and media matters, as well as Election Commission affairs, which will play a crucial role in many ways during the upcoming Assembly elections," the BSP chief posted on X.

1. उत्तर प्रदेश में आगामी विधानसभा आमचुनाव सन् 2027 की तैयारियों के मद्देनज़र बी.एस.पी. के जनाधार को सर्वसमाज में बढ़ाने की ज़मीनी मज़बूती के साथ-साथ पार्टी उम्मीदवारों के चयन व उनके नामों की पार्टी के विधानसभा स्तरीय कार्यकर्ता सम्मेलनों में घोषणा करने आदि की प्रक्रिया भी चल रही…

— Mayawati (@Mayawati) August 19, 2026

She has already started announcing Brahmin and Upper Caste candidates for the next year's elections.

Mayawati further stated that her party's decision to field more Brahmin candidates in the upcoming elections has caused discomfort among rivals. "Since the BSP began nominating candidates from all sections of society - especially the Brahmin community - in a manner aligned with preparations to form a full-majority BSP government like in 2007, it is evident that discussions and concerns have arisen among opposition parties regarding this. The people of the 'Bahujan Samaj' need to remain constantly vigilant and alert against their tactics," she added without directly naming the SP or the BJP.

She has promised to field more candidates from the upper-caste groups in the upcoming polls.

Mayawati's stunning 2007 victory was credited to an umbrella coalition of all caste groups that she managed by bringing a significant number of Brahmins and other upper-caste groups to her side.

But after the high of 206 Assembly seats in 2007 with over 30% vote share, the BSP has lost subsequent elections and its vote share has dwindled to under 12% with just one Assembly seat in the 2022 polls.

In the Lok Sabha election of 2024, Mayawati's party failed to win a single seat in UP and its vote share dropped to under 10%.

Mayawati's renewed bid to woo the Brahmins is seen as a bid to revive the old glory days of 2007. Brahmins constitute about 10% of UP voters and have been overwhelmingly voting for the BJP for the past several elections.

Earlier in January, in her birthday address, Mayawati sought to remind voters of the political importance and representation Brahmins enjoyed during BSP governments. She also alleged that the community was facing neglect under the BJP.

But can Mayawati's harping back to the 2007 success story dent the Brahmin-BJP love affair in UP? The bloc has been steadfastly behind the saffron party, with 89% of Brahmins voting for the BJP in the 2022 elections, according to CSDS-Lokniti data. Along with this, 87% of Thakurs/Rajputs, 83% of Vaishyas and 78% of other upper castes voted for the BJP in the last Assembly election.

Then there is the question of slipping of Dalit votes from the BSP to the BJP side. Dalits, who are over 20% of the state's electorate, have turned to the BJP in the last few polls as Mayawati's BSP ceased to be a movement and turned into a single-woman party.

SP's Akhilesh Yadav is also trying to woo the Dalit voters through his PDA - Pichda-Dalit-Alpsankhyak (Backwards, Dalits and Minorities) pitch, which worked for the SP in the Lok Sabha polls when it managed to stun the BJP.