  In this paper we revisit the canonical analysis of $BF$ gravity with the
Immirzi parameter and a cosmological constant. By examining the constraint on
the $B$ field, we realize that the analysis can be performed in a
Lorentz-covariant fashion while utterly avoiding the introduction of
second-class constraints during the whole process. Finally, we make contact
with the description of the phase space of first-order general relativity in
terms of canonical variables with manifest Lorentz covariance subject to
first-class constraints only recently introduced.
