₹5 Lakh to Meet Mayawati, ₹3.5 Crore for BSP Ticket? Bhaskar Sting Makes Explosive Claims

Key Points

AN UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION conducted by Dainik Bhaskar has leveled serious allegations against Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati and other members of the political outfit. A Bhaskar reporter posing as a prospective politician approached party members to inquire about the process of meeting the party supremo and obtaining a ticket from BSP. This sting operation has revealed the corruption behind the process.

As per the Dainik Bhaskar report, Vishwanath Pal, Uttar Pradesh BSP president, stated that Rs 5 lakhs must be given if someone wishes to meet the BSP leader, or “behenji” as he called her. To obtain a ticket from the party, Rs 3.35 crores in two installments — one at the time of request and the second half a few weeks later — must be paid. In addition, Pal “guaranteed” that he [talking to the reporter] will be made a minister if the party comes to power. 

"When you meet behenji, carry ₹5 lakh. We will tell her that you want an Assembly ticket. There will be no accounting for those ₹5 lakh. For the ticket, you will have to pay ₹3.35 crore. Deposit ₹1 crore to ₹1.5 crore now, and you will get one to one-and-a-half months for the remaining amount. If the government is formed, we guarantee that you will be made a minister," revealed Pal.

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Against the background of the Uttar Pradesh assembly election, scheduled for February-March 2027, the reporter approached the party on the pretext of joining the national political organization, posing himself as an aspiring politician. After establishing contacts with several leaders and members of BSP, the reporter met up with some of them to enquire about the ticket-obtaining process and what it requires to get Mayawati’s ‘blessings.’

Shailendra Gautam's Alleged Remarks on Candidate Selection 

The first person the reporter met was Shailendra Gautam, BSP's Lucknow district president at Shailendra traders in Indiranagar, Lucknow. In the conversation held in a closed room, Gautam said that he [the reporter] would be introduced to behenji as a potential candidate from Uttar Pradesh’s Bakshi ka Talab (BKT) constituency seat. Rs 5 lakhs must be given to Mayawati as a ‘gift,’ and an additional amount, as dictated by the BSP office, must be deposited in order to obtain a party ticket. Once the deposit is safely transacted, candidature would be announced before a crowd of 10,000-15,000 people after which one can continue to work in the constituency.

Gautam also revealed that “every seat has a different rate,” stating that the total amount to get a party ticket is Rs 3.5 crores which must be disposed of in full or in installments within the stipulated time. He also remarked that “behenji takes care of those who deposit first.”

The district president also confessed that potential candidates need not to prove their background in politics in order to qualify as a potential candidate. No background checks or vetting of criminal records are undertaken.

Vishwanath Pal's Alleged Claims About Ticket Distribution 

The second contact of the reporter was Vishwanath Pal, Uttar Pradesh BSP president. Pal, also more or less, reiterated the same thing Gautam had to say about the ticket obtaining process. 

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Pal said the stipulated amount of 3.5 crore that is ‘required’ to buy a party ticket can be reduced in certain cases, such as if there is any delay in announcing the candidate. He also said that if a potential candidate shows delay in giving the money, behenji becomes displeased with them and as a result their ticket can be cancelled. 

When the reporter questioned what benefit he would get by joining the BSP, Pal replied that he “guarantees that he [the reporter] would be made a minister. A day after the sting operation, the reporter was informed that his meeting with Mayawati had been secured, but the operation was not carried forward as the meeting with the party supremo involves extensive security arrangement and checking, which would make carrying secret recording equipment difficult.

In addition to information about the cash-for-ticket operation, the reporter was able to extract more information about BSP’s strategy for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections 2027. Preparations have commenced to appoint in-charges for 10 Assembly seats in the Kanpur division. In most cases, the person appointed as Assembly in-charge later becomes the party's candidate. Also, the BSP is considering fielding Brahmin candidates on 40–50 seats. 

[Edited by: Harsh Pandey]

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