Bahujan Samaj Party
Template:Use Indian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox Indian Political Party
The Bahujan Samaj Party (Template:Small BSP) is a political party in India that was formed to represent Bahujans (literally means "community in majority"), referring to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes (OBC), along with minorities.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to Kanshi Ram, when he founded the party in 1984, the Bahujans comprised 85 percent of India's population, but were divided into 6,000 different castes.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The party claims to be inspired by the philosophy of B. R. Ambedkar, Jyotiba Phule, Narayana Guru, Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj, and Gautama Buddha.
Kanshi Ram named his protégée, Mayawati, as his successor in 2001. The BSP has its main base in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh where it was the second-largest party in the 2019 Indian general election with 19.3% of votes<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and fourth largest in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election with 12.88% of votes.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Its election symbol is an elephant which is the same symbol historically used by Dr. Ambedkar's Scheduled Castes Federation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Anchor EtymologyEdit
"Bahujan" is a Sanskritic term found in Hindu and Buddhist texts, and literally refers to "many people", or "the majority". It connotes the combined population of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Muslims, and minorities who together constitute the demographic majority of India.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The word "Bahujan" appears in the dictum "Bahujana Hitaya Bahujana Sukhaya", or "The benefit and prosperity of the many", articulated by Gautama Buddha.<ref name="Gurusamy2019">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Roy2015">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>
In his writing, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar used the term to refer to the majority of people in society that experienced discrimination and oppression on the basis of caste. Jyotirao Phule used the term in a similar context, and compared the Bahujans of India to Slavery in the United States. Schedule Caste and Bahujan writers have suggested this proportion was 70 percent of the population.<ref name="Roy2015" /><ref name="Jaffrelot2003">Template:Cite book</ref>
HistoryEdit
Bahujan Samaj Party was founded on the birth anniversary of B. R. Ambedkar (14 April 1984) by Kanshi Ram,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> who named former school teacher, Mayawati, as his successor of BSP in 2001.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The party's power grew quickly with seats in the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh and the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. In 1993, following the assembly elections, Mayawati formed a coalition with Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav as Chief Minister. On 2 June 1995, she withdrew support from his government, which led to a major incident where Mulayam Singh Yadav was accused of sending his zealots to keep her party legislators hostage at a Lucknow guest house and shout casteist abuses at her.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Since this incident, they have regarded each other publicly as chief rivals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Mayawati then obtained support from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to become Chief Minister on 3 June 1995. In October 1995, the BJP withdrew their support and fresh elections were called after a period of President's Rule. In 2003, Mayawati resigned from her own government to prove that she was not "hungry for power"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and asked the BJP-run Government of India to remove Union Tourism and Culture Minister, Jagmohan.Template:Cn In 2007, she began leading a BSP-formed government with an absolute majority for a full five-year term.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On 10 December 2023, Mayawati declared her nephew Akash Anand as the party's successor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, he was sacked immediately after his comments on the ruling BJP Party.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Silver jubileeEdit
On 14 April 2009, the Bahujan Samaj Party celebrated its silver jubilee.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Manywar Shri Kanshi Ramji Shahri Garib Awas Yojna housing scheme for poor was launched by Lucknow Development Authority (LDA).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The role of Mayawati was discussed in BSP's success.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A mass rally was organised in Lucknow with 10000 police personnel on duty.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was the 305th and largest rally of BSP since 1984.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As per Observer Research Foundation, within 25 years BSP became the third largest political party of India.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ViewsEdit
BSP believes in "Social Transformation and Economic Emancipation" of the "Bahujan Samaj". The Bahujan Samaj signifies the Bahujans as the Scheduled Castes (SC), the Scheduled Tribes (ST), and the Other Backward Castes (OBC). B. R. Ambedkar, a proponent of Bahujan rights, is their important ideological inspiration. The BSP also speaks in favor of religious minorities. The party claims not to be prejudiced against upper-caste Hindus. In 2008, while addressing the audience, Mayawati said: "Our policies and ideology are not against any particular caste or religion. If we were anti-upper caste, we would not have given tickets to candidates from upper castes to contest elections".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
List of chief ministersEdit
Chief ministers of Uttar PradeshEdit
| No | Image | Name | Constituency | Term of office | Tenure length | Assembly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | File:Mayawati.jpg | Mayawati | None | 3 June 1995 | 18 October 1995 | Template:Age in years and days | 12th Assembly Template:Small |
| Harora | 21 March 1997 | 21 September 1997 | Template:Age in years and days | 13th Assembly Template:Small | |||
| 3 May 2002 | 29 August 2003 | Template:Age in years and days | 14th Assembly Template:Small | ||||
| MLC | 13 May 2007 | 15 March 2012 | Template:Age in years and days | 15th Assembly Template:Small | |||
Electoral performancesEdit
Success in 2007Edit
The results of the May 2007 Uttar Pradesh state assembly election saw the BSP emerge as a sole majority party, the first to do so since 1991. Mayawati began her fourth term as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and took her oath of office along with 50 ministers of cabinet and state rank on 13 May 2007, at Rajbhawan in the state capital of Lucknow.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Most importantly, the majority achieved in large part was due to the party's ability to take away majority of upper castes votes from their traditional party, the BJP.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref>
The party could manage only 80 seats in 2012, as opposed to 206 in 2007 assembly elections. BSP government was the first in the history of Uttar Pradesh to complete its full five-year term.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 26 May 2018, Ram Achal Rajbhar was replaced by R S Kushwaha as the president of UP unit.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2014 Lok Sabha electionsEdit
The 2014 national Lok Sabha elections saw the BSP become the third-largest national party of India in terms of vote percentage, having 4.2% of the vote across the country but gaining no seats.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2019 Lok Sabha elections: MahagathbandhanEdit
Prior to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BSP formed an alliance. The Mahagathbandhan (or Grand Alliance), or simply the Gathbandhan (Alliance),<ref>'SP-BSP-RLD thagbandhan won't cross double digits' Template:Webarchive, The Hindu (14 April 2019) Template:Verify source</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Template:Verify source</ref> is an anti-Congress,<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Verify source</ref> anti-BJP<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Template:Verify source</ref> Indian political alliance formed in the run-up to the 2019 general election under the leadership of two former Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party and Mayawati of the Bahujan Samaj Party, along with Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal and several other political parties, contesting in different states of India.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Template:Verify source</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Template:Verify source</ref><ref>Template:Cite news Template:Verify source</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Template:Verify source</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Template:Verify source</ref><ref>Template:Citation Template:Verify source</ref>
In Uttar Pradesh, BSP contested 38 seats, SP 37, and RLD 3, and the alliance supported Congress in the final two. Due to this seat sharing agreement, BSP's vote share fell slightly nationally and in the state, but they won 10 seats, up from 0 in 2014. The Samajwadi Party won 5 seats, giving the alliance a total of 15 seats out of 80 in the state.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2024 Lok Sabha elections: Historic setbackEdit
On 19 July 2023, the BSP had announced that it would neither side with the INDIA nor the NDA and would go alone in the 2024 Indian General Election.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, it had its worst performance in a Lok Sabha election. It lost all ten of its seats in Uttar Pradesh that it had gained in the previous election and didn't gain any seats elsewhere. Its national vote share fell to 2.07%, less than half of what it was in 2014 when it also won 0 seats.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Election resultsEdit
Lok SabhaEdit
Legislative Assembly electionsEdit
GalleryEdit
- Sumrat singh bsp2.jpg
Bsp cadre Madhya pradesh
- Dileep bsp.jpg
BSP Leaders at Bahujan Samaj Prerna Kendra
- Vimal bsp.jpg
BSP Leaders at Bahujan Samaj Prerna Kendra
- Bsp img.jpg
BSP cadre camp
- Dileep Kumar Vimal Bsp.jpg
BSP cadre camp
- Dileep kumar vimal bsp.jpg
BSP cadre camp
- Dileep kumar vimal.jpg
BSP cadre camp
- Dileep vimal.jpg
BSP cadre camp
- Sumrat Singh 13.jpg
Bsp Cadre Madhya Pradesh
- Sumrat Singh 42.jpg
Bsp Cadre
See alsoEdit
- BAMCEF<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Republican Party of India<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Kanshi Ram
- Mayawati
- Jai Bhim<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Further readingEdit
- Chandra, Kanchan. 2004. Why Ethnic Parties Succeed. Cambridge University Press.
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Indian political parties Template:Authority control