GAJENDRA SINGH NEGI/ Dehradun
The pathetic performance by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in appointment of the Booth Level Agents (BLAs) for the ongoing process of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Uttarakhand has clearly shown that the party’s fortunes are on irreversible downslide in the Himalayan State. The data released by the Election Commission of India reveals that the BSP could appoint only 11 BLA- 1 and 115 BLA-2 in the State for the SIR. As per the commission, political parties should appoint one BLA-1 in every Assembly constituency while BLA-2 are appointed in every polling station of the State.
The State has a total of 11,733 polling stations out of which the BSP could appoint only 115 BLA-2 which is less than one per cent of the total number of polling stations. In sharp contrast, the ruling BJP has appointed 70 BLA-1 and 11,429 BLA-2 while the Congress party has appointed 69 BLA-1 and 10,901 BLA-2 in the State.
The pathetic performance of the BSP in appointment of BLAs is in sharp contrast to the fact that the BSP once prided itself in giving a third alternative to the people of Uttarakhand.
A look at the performance of the party suggests that in the first and second Vidhan Sabha election the BSP gave a very spirited performance but the slide started from the third Vidhan Sabha elections (2012) and the party logged in its worst performance in the elections of 2017 where it failed to win even a single seat.
BSP cornered 10.9 percent votes and won seven seats in the first assembly elections of Uttarakhand in the year 2002. In the elections of 2007, the party increased its vote percentage to 11.8 to bag eight seats. In the elections of 2012, the party further increased its vote share and cornered 12.2 percent of total votes polled but could manage to win only three seats (Manglaur, Bhagwanpur and Jhabreda). However the party assumed the position of the kingmaker as it helped in the formation of a Congress government in the State. In the assembly election of 2017, the party got only seven per cent of vote share and could not register victory in any assembly constituency. In the assembly elections of 2022, the vote share of BSP further slid to 4.87 per cent but the party registered victory in Laksar and Manglaur constituency. After the death of Sarvat Karim Ansari, a by-election was held in Manglaur in 2024 in which the Congress snatched the seat from BSP. The party now has only one seat in 70 member Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha.
Former vice president of Uttarakhand BSP, Rajesh Pal said that in the last few years the BSP and its supremo Mayawati have maintained a silence on the issues of people due to which the people of Bahujan Samaj are drifting away from the party.
