BSP to contest all elections independently: Party chief Mayawati ahead of 2027 UP polls

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 3 (ANI): Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) national president Mayawati on Thursday announced that her party will contest all upcoming elections in the country, including the Assembly elections, independently.
Addressing the BSP's All India meeting, Mayawati said the party will fight all small and big elections on its own and will not depend on alliances.
Mayawati also spoke about her nephew Akash Anand, saying he is allowed to work in the party but needs to gain more maturity and will not be given any major responsibility for now.
She said the interests of the Bahujan Samaj and the party's mission of making the exploited sections a ruling class remain her top priorities, adding that attaining political power is necessary to achieve this objective.
The decision comes amid preparations for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. 
In Uttar Pradesh, the BSP contested the 2022 Assembly elections independently; the party fielded candidates in all 403 constituencies but won only one seat, securing 12.88 per cent of the vote. 
Meanwhile, a day earlier, Former All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asim Waqar joined Congress in Lucknow in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai in the run-up to the 2027 Legislative Assembly elections.
Waqar noted that a fight should be put up against the BJP, while claiming that AIMIM contested against the Congress and the opposition parties instead of challenging the BJP.
Uttar Pradesh will hold the next Assembly elections in 2027, with a major contest expected between the two most prominent parties, Bharatiya Janata Party and Samajwadi Party.
In the current session, the Uttar Pradesh Assembly has 403 elected members, 258 of whom are from the Bharatiya Janata Party, 107 from the Samajwadi Party, and 13 from the Apna Dal.
Congress, in alliance with the Samajwadi Party, is looking to make a comeback in Uttar Pradesh and is eyeing a win in the 2027 elections.
In the 2022 polls, the Congress managed just two seats out of the 399 contested. AIMIM could not open its account in 2022 and is looking to consolidate Muslim votes and replicate its performance as in the Bihar elections in 2025. (ANI)