Mayawati stages political comeback with massive Lucknow rally

In a major political comeback, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati marked the death anniversary of party founder Kanshi Ram with a massive rally in Lucknow, her first public appearance in the city in nearly a decade.

The event, held at Ambedkar Maidan, drew lakhs of supporters from across five states, including Bihar, Punjab, and Haryana is being considered as the BSP’s opening pitch for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

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The rally, described by political observers as a potential turning point for the BSP, showcased Mayawati’s bid to revive the party’s fading fortunes through renewed social engineering.

Keeping in mind the caste calculations, two stages were set up at the venue — one for Mayawati alongside seven prominent leaders representing the party’s social engineering strategy, and another for BSP’s regional coordinators. Political observers say the turnout could rejuvenate the party, which has seen a steady decline in electoral performance in recent years.

Supporters from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh attended in large numbers, with significant participation from women and children, signaling a carefully strategized return to grassroots mobilisation.

While the BSP marked the occasion with a show of public support, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid floral tribute to Kanshi Ram, calling him “the powerful voice of the deprived, oppressed, and marginalized.”

In a post on X, Yogi wrote:“Humble tributes to the founder of Bahujan Samaj Party, Manyawar Kanshi Ram Ji, the strong voice of the neglected, deprived, and oppressed. Your struggle for social justice will always be remembered.”

In a separate post, the Chief Minister highlighted the development strides under the BJP-led ‘double-engine government’.

“From villages to cities, from roads to airports, every sector in Uttar Pradesh is moving forward with both speed and progress,” he wrote.

Yogi Adityanath also emphasized infrastructure achievements, stating that 16 airports in the state are now fully operational, with five more under construction — including four international airports. Jewar International Airport, projected to be India’s largest, is expected to become operational soon.

He added that expressways have made travel “faster, safer, and easier,” while the expansion of the state’s railway network continues to connect remote towns and villages — symbolizing what he described as an infrastructure revolution shaping a “New Uttar Pradesh.”